Brockville Garage Sale Raises $10K for Drought-Hit Kenya

When water tanks that took three years to build ran completely dry in rural Kenya, a small Canadian charity knew exactly what to do: throw the world's best garage sale.

Our Kenyan Kids raised $10,000 in just two days at their annual sale in Brockville, Ontario. The money will immediately fill 59 water tanks serving families in Turkana and Embu, regions experiencing their worst drought in four decades.

"People were lined up out the door and along Wall Street three to four broad towards James Street," said volunteers Lynn Meacher and Eileen Doner, who watched the community flood in to help. Tables overflowed with treasures, from electronics to baked goods, all donated to fight a crisis happening 7,000 miles away.

The drought hit just as the charity celebrated completing a five-year water tank project in only three years. Donors had paid $375 per tank to give families permanent access to clean water. Then the rains that normally fill those tanks simply never came.

"When we were in Turkana a year ago, they had not had rain for a year and a half," said Donna McMillan, chairwoman of Our Kenyan Kids. In January, the charity learned every single tank was empty and families were in crisis.

Wall Street United Church provided the venue for the massive sale, continuing a partnership that supports the charity's mission. Besides water, Our Kenyan Kids funds schools, medical care, and food support through eight Kenyan partners serving remote communities spreading out from Nairobi.

The charity has already built two schools in Turkana and continues expanding educational programs even as emergency needs demand attention. This year's focus remains on the essentials: food, water, and keeping school doors open.

The Ripple Effect

What started as a small mission by pastor Doug Warren in 2004 has grown into a lifeline for vulnerable families across Kenya. Warren passed away in 2024, just as he was being invited to celebrate the charity's 20th anniversary, but his vision lives on through volunteers who turn garage sale treasures into clean water.

Linda James, who founded the garage sale in 2008, calls it "the foundation of our funding." The sale has become an annual tradition that people wait for with anticipation, knowing their purchases directly change lives.

A second sale is already planned for July, because one thing has become clear: when Brockville shows up to shop, Kenyan families get to drink.