To help make a positive difference in the community, an anonymous member of St. Paul’s Anglican Church donated $200 worth of Metro gift cards to the Newmarket community fridge.
The donor gave the gift cards to Councillor Bob Kwapis and asked him and the committee from St. Paul’s Anglican Church to use the gift card donations to purchase food for the fridge.
“St. Paul’s is very committed to the community and very active in the community, but they don’t like to blow their own horn,” said Kwapis. “They just like to help out because they’re wonderful people.”
Kwapis and the committee re-stocked the fridge on Thursday morning thanks to the donation, and a little extra chipped in from St. Paul’s Anglican Church.
“We wanted to raise awareness about the fact that the community fridge needs refilling,” said Kwapis.
Stepping up in the community and helping out where they can is a key tenet of St. Paul’s Anglican Church and its congregation, said Rev. Christopher Parsons.
“We’ve been in the community for a long time and it’s a place where all people are welcome and we feel the walls of our church go well beyond the stone walls of the building,” he said. “It’s about the whole community and this is a way in which we can support those in need in our community.”
As a councillor, Kwapis is grateful to represent a community that cares so deeply about those who may be dealing with more difficult circumstances.
“It’s very important to have community focus and there are people who need help and people who want to help,” he said. “Having community involvement like this is so important because everyone is human and there are upturns and downturns in everyone’s lives and recognizing that lending a helping hand can make a difference is so important.”
Kwapis added that downtown Newmarket is a focus and that the community has stepped up to the plate to make a difference in the downtown community.
