(Photo courtesy of Denise Cooperwhite.)
Many people pick up their pumpkins just before Halloween, so REALTOR® Cliff Barron came up with an idea to help both the community and the United Way. He contacted local farmers and purchased a hefty load of 250 pumpkins and on October 16, at a park in Milton, Ontario, helped give them away for donations.
“We were in the park giving away pumpkins and meeting people for almost five hours,” he said. “We told people they could take the pumpkins for free, but we invited them to make a donation to the United Way.”
The event raised $605 from the sales/giveaway then Cliff donated another $395 to top it up to $1,000.
Another huge shoutout and thank you to @CliffDBarron for his super successful Great Pumpkin Giveaway in support of UWM #amazing #thankyou pic.twitter.com/uEbVtMyIV3
— United Way Milton (@unitedwaymilton) October 22, 2016
“The United Way does a lot of great work in our region, so I wanted to help them while doing something fun for the community,” Cliff said.
His pumpkin giveaway also featured a draw for a gift basket.
“The funny thing is, one boy who attended the event picked up a large pumpkin, then walked home with it almost half a mile. The pumpkin was almost as big as him! Later, when we did the draw and I delivered it, the door opened and there he was all smiles to learn he was the winner.”
(Photo courtesy of Denise Cooperwhite.)
Cliff said he wanted to thank his dedicated volunteers including representatives from the United Way, his daughter Emily and his assistant’s daughter, Leah. In addition, Cliff said he appreciates the cooperation of the town.
“Once the parks department found out that I was doing this for charity, they said go for it. They were very helpful. I was welcome to use the park with no permits required.”
In 2015, the United Way Milton provided 25,000 people with programs and services such as counselling, bereavement support, school time lunches and family groceries.
This story was adapted – with permission – from one originally featured on the Sutton Spirit website. The Sutton Spirit program recognizes Sutton associates across Canada that improve and enhance the lives of the people around them.
