WATERLOO — A local woman is devoting time to raise food and donations for students struggling with food insecurity, and she is doing it all to honour her son.
Laura MacGregor’s son, Matthew, died in the first few months of the pandemic of complications from pneumonia.
“It’s been difficult for our entire family, but I think part of the response then is: how do you channel grief into something that makes an impact on the community?” said Laura.
Matthew would have been 23 years old on Jan. 27.
After he died, Laura and her loved ones were not able to gather to celebrate Matthew’s life, so she decided to honour his life in a way she knows he would have loved.
Every January on the cusp of Matthew’s birthday, Laura posts on Facebook asking for donations of canned goods or cash for the Distro Program drive.
The program was created in 2020 after the pandemic highlighted students’ need for groceries and living essentials.
While the family was able to have a funeral in 2021, the drive keeps his spirit alive and continues a tradition of charity, Laura said.
“Because Matthew was severely disabled, any birthday celebrations we might have had, people would often ask what gift to bring and it was hard to answer at times,” said Laura, who is also the director of Martin Luther University College’s centre for spirituality, disability and care.
“We often just suggested that people make donations to the food bank for his birthdays or bring a bag of canned food that we would donate.”
Matthew was born was a brain injury and could not speak or walk.
He loved being part of the community, something that is tangible in the Distro Program, said Laura. That is why supporting the program made sense to Laura.
The Distro Program was started in 2020 by the Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group and Martin Luther University College. The Distro Drive started at a table serving a few students every Thursday.
Now, students can go to Martin Luther’s Waterloo campus or Laurier’s Brantford campus to pick up items they need, for free. Last week, about 130 people picked up food, a number that has stayed relatively consistent over the past year.
At the end of each week, Laura sends the donations she has collected to the Distro Program and on Wednesdays, she does a bread run and brings the goodies for the program.
“If you were to go to the Distro on a Thursday afternoon, there’s a real sense of community there. There’s a real sense of busyness, there’s music playing and people are happy,” she said.
Carol Bayubay is the Distro co-ordinator on the Martin Luther’s campus. She was also Matthew’s primary caregiver.
After Matthew died, Bayubay said she struggled. Matthew was like a son to her.
“It was very hard for me,” she said, to the point where some days she struggled to get out of bed. Laura suggested that Bayubay get involved with Distro.
Bayubay said sometimes a lineup has already formed before the four to five volunteer organizers get there.
Items like tuna, pasta, eggs, fresh vegetables, toothpaste and shampoo are all in demand.
The staff has a $300 budget to buy needed items other than food. The money is donated.
“You give (the students) a smile and you get rid of some worries from them that you don’t have to buy food for a couple of days,” said Bayubay.
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