Three years ago, when the world shut down, many people were left struggling while also wondering what to do with their new normal. 

One Swift Current resident, Doreen Marten, who had been battling cancer in the month prior to the pandemic, found herself wanting to help others that were struggling and took it upon herself to remedy the situation the best way she knew how. By baking and selling bread and donating the proceeds to the Salvation Army in Swift Current. 

“I had cancer and I had come home from radiation in January of 2020, and I was recovering from that,” she elaborated. “Then in March of the same year, COVID-19 started to hit our province and our town, and things started to close down. People were losing their jobs and businesses were closing and there were a lot of possibly homeless, and other people that needed help with meals, so, I started.” 

Marten, who has now donated over $9,500 to the local charitable organization, said initially her goal was to raise her $100 donation to $300. 

“I had decided I could possibly give The Salvation Army $100 and then I thought, if I could turn that $100 into $300, that would be great. “I thought a lot and I like baking bread and I thought I could sell bread to my family, friends and my church family as well, so that's what I did. I started baking bread and selling the loaves for whatever they wanted to give me.” 

Lieutenant for the Swift Current Salvation Army, Renee Mailman, noted the importance of donations from the community. 

“For us, it's donations like this that keep us running,” Mailman explained. “We couldn't do what we do without the generous support of this community. This is just such a different and creative way of being able to generate these funds to donate to us, but it’s these kinds of donations that allow us to do what we do.” 

The baker added that it is something she loves to do and credits her customers for the money she has been able to donate thus far.

“It's also been a blessing to me because it has given me something to do and I'm helping out in the long run, so, that's what I wanted,” Marten concluded.