Image: Sue Koopman, used with permission / Barbara (background) and Leanne (foreground) prepare items for sale ahead of last year's garage sale fundraiser for Voice of Hope Kenya. This year's garage sale happens this Saturday, June 1 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 7350 Barrow Road in Greendale. Teams of Chilliwack-area volunteers visit Kenya on a regular basis to provide tangible assistance to vulnerable women and children by facilitating opportunities for them to have better everyday lives and self sustainability.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Voice of Hope garage sale

Garage sale this weekend in Chilliwack to support widows, orphans in Kenya

May 28, 2024 | 9:00 AM

CHILLIWACK — Since its formation over a decade ago, Voice of Hope has leveraged its Chilliwack connections to enhance the quality of life for indigent widows and orphans in Kenya.

Teams of Chilliwack-area volunteers visit Kenya on a regular basis to provide tangible assistance to vulnerable women and children by facilitating opportunities for them to have better everyday lives and self sustainability.

One of the primary fundraisers that enables Voice of Hope to maintain this yearly outreach effort happens this Saturday, June 1 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Chilliwack. There will be a garage sale at 7350 Barrow Road in Greendale, as well as coffee, cinnamon buns, hot dogs, chips and a lot more for sale. Food items are reasonably priced. All proceeds benefit widows and orphans in Kenya.

Voice of Hope was founded in 2013 when Chilliwack resident Mary Anne Westeringh accompanied her husband Dick on a Hungry for Life trip to Kenya and Uganda. The objective of the trip was to familiarize board members and their guests with the various projects in which Hungry for Life was invested. Mary Anne saw an opportunity for further outreach materialize. Before long, the Voice of Hope organization was formed.

In particular, the events of one particular hot and dusty afternoon became very significant in her life when she and a group visited two women. While both women were widowed and named Margaret, their needs were different. They happened upon the senior woman lying on an thin, worn-out mattress, where they learned she spent all of her days and nights. The other was a widowed mother trying desperately to raise her 8 children amidst a home that was falling apart. Both of these women were hungry, tired, discouraged, and lonely. Both of these women lacked resources and hope.

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​”Hope was what Mary Anne wanted to offer to these women, and many others in similar circumstances,” Voice of Hope wrote on its website. “Realizing how destitute, lonely, and forgotten many of these widows were prompted Mary Anne to put together a team of women to come and offer hope and assistance.”

If you’d like to donate gently used items for this weekend’s garage sale, please contact Mary Anne Westeringh at 604-316-1204, or Jen Bartha at 604-793-6097. Please note, no clothing items are being accepted at this time.

Visit A Voice of Hope for Kenya on Facebook for more information about the organization.