By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

lending a helping hand

Good deed toilet paper sale benefits Sylvan Lake charity

Mar 14, 2020 | 2:24 PM

A Sylvan Lake resident and business owner has taken the toilet paper hoarding issue into his own hands, and flipped it upside down.

Mike Williams, who runs Western Business Solutions, says they don’t typically sell janitorial products, but do have access to them through suppliers.

Williams ordered close to 1000 rolls of bathroom tissue with the goal of selling all or most back to the community and proceeds going to the Community Partners Association, a local organization which provides services to families.

“I sit on the board for Community Partners, and I know one of the challenges with people hoarding is that there’s a certain section of the population that may not have the ability to get to a Costco or fight through crowds at WalMart or a grocery store,” he says.

“They may have transportation or mobility issues, or social restraints that just aren’t allowing them to get there. I thought this may be a chance to reach those people because once you need it, you need it.”

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On March 12, Williams invited anyone who needed some TP to visit his store, and that resulted in close to $900 in donations.

“The world is becoming a bit of a dark and sad place, so I thought maybe for a moment I could do something nice, and maybe a little bit fun. I wasn’t expecting it to change the world or anything like that,” he says.

“We’re in uncharted territory here. There’s no template. Even just small gestures can make a difference, so hopefully people can take this time to be kind, and if you have the opportunity to help someone in need, do it.”

Health officials with provincial governments and the federal government have strongly advised against the hoarding of goods such as bathroom tissue, canned goods and hand sanitizer.

Kruger Products, which manufacturers toilet tissue for brands like Purex and Cashmere, has said it is working overtime to restock bare shelves across the nation.