YORKTON, Sask. — Heritage Baptist Church held its biannual clothing swap this past Saturday, welcoming over 330 community members.
The church has been collecting donations for this clothing swap since September. The initiative is the brainchild of Sarah McKenzie. It began in the spring of 2023 and has been held every spring and fall since. This event lets anyone pick up clothes, shoes, toys and other donated goods for free and has served more than 500 people every year, but the numbers keep growing.
According to McKenzie, the idea for the swap began on the premise of hermit crabs that gather together and swap shells. McKenzie had worked at a second-hand clothing store in Alberta and had experience in the logistics of dealing with donations and sorting them. Furthermore, her faith gave her the desire to serve the needs of the "least of these."
McKenzie also recognized that going to a church for the first time can be intimidating, and so being invited into the church through the warm atmosphere of the clothing swap breaks down that perception. The church has roughly 10-15 volunteers who work to make the event possible for the community.
Initially, Sarah's husband, Jeff McKenzie, purchased 200 blue garbage bags to hand out to attendees to fill. However, the bags were quickly depleted as members of the community poured through the doors. Jeff had to run to the store for more bags to ensure everyone could continue grabbing the free items.
According to a volunteer, the turnout Saturday was smaller than their spring event, which served over 500 members of the community.
Following the success of the swap, the church is looking forward to its next community gathering. Heritage Baptist Church invites all local families and friends to celebrate the reason for the season at "The Biggest Gift," a Christmas concert taking place on Dec. 13 at 7 p.m.
