A loss for the annual Times Colonist book sale turned into a gain for the Times Colonist Christmas Fund.
One of the annual book sale’s long-time volunteers, who asked that her name not be used, took the bad news that there would be no book sale this year and turned it into a win for the paper’s winter charitable drive.
The retiree, who would normally spend eight to 10 hours a day for two or three weeks sorting and categorizing a portion of the thousands of books donated at the annual book drive, was left with a hole in her schedule when, due to the pandemic, the sale was postponed this year.
So, she used that free time and turned her hand to keeping people healthy and safe during the pandemic by making masks, all the while establishing a new revenue stream for the Christmas Fund.
“Seeing as the sale wasn’t happening this year, I thought I’d use the time and make some masks and take the money I would normally spend on books and donate it,” she said. “The original plan had been to donate the money from the masks to the [Times Colonist] Literacy Society, but by the time I pulled it all together that drive had stopped and so I thought I’d donate it to the Christmas Fund.”
In total she anonymously donated $695 to the fund.
She started making masks in June, mainly for her family and friends. But her batik-fabric face coverings became a bit of a hit within her circle and soon there were requests from teachers, friends of friends and beyond.
“I have an immune-compromised system and I wanted to protect myself as much as possible, so I started making them for my family, my husband and I,” she said, adding she wanted to make the masks look good, fit well and be the kind of thing people would actually wear.
A life-long sewer — at one point she had a sewing business that sold items to stores on the Island, Lower Mainland and in Alberta — and a relative newcomer to quilting, she said she had plenty of fabric on hand so the enterprise took off.
“As fast as I was making them, they were selling,” she said.
The batik masks, with two types of design in each one, were priced at $5, she said, so people would actually buy and wear them.
“I thought, if I can make something that’s attractive and not paper, people will want to wear them and they will like them,” she said.
She is taking a break from mask making to concentrate on other projects, but she expects she will be back at her sewing machine again soon.
The Times Colonist Christmas Fund, which supports the Mustard Seed Street Church, the Salvation Army and other organizations, is aiming to raise $700,000 this year.
HOW TO DONATE
Go to timescolonist.com/donate. That takes you to the Canada Helps website, which is open 24 hours a day and provides an immediate tax receipt.
Mail a cheque, payable to the Times Colonist Christmas Fund Society, to the Times Colonist Christmas Fund, 201-655 Tyee Road, Victoria V9A 6X5.
Use your credit card by phoning 250-995-4438 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Outside those hours, messages will be accepted.
