Jim and Marianne want their values to live on for years to come.
“There was never anything unusual about handing extra stuff from your garden over the fence to your neighbours. If somebody was sick in the village, you knew – and you helped.”
House of Friendship is part of Jim Erb’s DNA.
Jim grew up regularly helping his aunt cut up carrots and other vegetables in the shelter kitchen.
“We worked to get food ready for the rest of the week,” said Jim. “So, my exposure to House of Friendship started when I would have been about eight or nine years old.”
Jim grew up in the village of Wellesley, and saw that same spirit of giving and caring at work.
Staying true to his roots, today Jim continues to volunteer, including through Kitchener-Conestoga Rotary Club’s annual Turkey Drive in support of House of Friendship’s Christmas Food program. He’s made it a family affair. His wife Marianne, along with their children and grandchildren, have joined in and experience the joy of volunteering together.
Building on their experiences of giving back since childhood, Jim and Marianne want to make sure the work of helping those in need continues, well into the future. That’s why they have decided to leave a Gift in their Will to House of Friendship.
They both see it as a reflection of their values, a way to create a legacy of what has always been so important to them. “We want our legacy, through the gift in our Will, to go to people who are marginalized, who are in need,” said Jim.
“It’s just something we want to pay forward,” said Marianne.
