Better together initiative coming to Kindersley
By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
In 2018, two gals from North Battleford, Deb McNabb and Allysa Woodrow put their heads together and started the Better Together t-shirt project. It had been a challenging year when the community had experienced numerous losses due to suicide.
“So many people were hurting. It was a time of hopelessness,” Deb said. As a pastor of a local church, she knew first hand about all the hurting people. Together with Alyssa, a grade 12 student, the pair met together to figure out a way to connect the generations.
Deb said people are surprised to hear that the loneliest people aren’t seniors but people between the ages of 15-20. “People in that age group have followers on social media, but they don’t have people who know and love them as friends,” Deb said. “People are better together. It’s an old message, but it’s fresh today.”
One year later, Alyssa and Deb launched the Better Together t-shirt project. There are four logos to choose from: salt and pepper, milk and cookies, bacon and eggs, peanut butter, and jam - all foods that are better together.
“We did a pilot project of seniors and young people, and North Battleford had 9,000 people wearing Better Together t-shirts on Tuesday,” Deb explained. “Our businesses and schools got on board because of the importance of not being alone. It was about loneliness more than about suicide.”
The goal is to find someone wearing a matching t-shirt and say hello or chat. Deb recalls the first time she wore her t-shirt on a Tuesday in 2019. “I went in the local Co-op, and a little granny was wearing a salt and pepper shirt like mine. She came over and kissed me on my cheek, and we got to know each other. I started visiting her every Monday, and we had tea.”
That was in 2019, and then Covid hit in 2020. “Now we’re all over Canada, and it’s especially spreading across communities in Saskatchewan,” Deb said. “Loneliness is an ugly word because it makes you feel like you’re not good at making friends, which is a lie.” Deb firmly believes a connected community is a healthy community, and we’re truly better together. It’s about connecting all ages and all cultures.
After a very tough year of conducting funerals of suicide victims, Deb decided to take a one-year leave from her pastoral duties. “I knew that was vital for my mental health,” she explained. But she is very busy as an ambassador for “Better Together.”
“G-Macs AgTeam throughout Saskatchewan is on board, as well as Kindersley Christian Fellowship in Kindersley. And the schools are also looking to come on board,” Deb said. G-Macs AgTeam has generously offered to purchase t-shirts for the high school students at Kindersley Composite School.
“I meet with 110 students once a month, and they get all the mayors on board. The young people are the ambassadors in their community. They’re challenging all generations to be involved. I didn’t think seniors would wear the shirts, but they will wear them to keep the kids alive. They want to be part of something. They have heart and something to share with the younger generations,” Deb said.
All Out Graphics in North Battleford produces the t-shirts and hoodies, and they are available on their website at alloutgd.com, or you can call and make an order.
“I knew the message was going to be a long-term message. So I’m raising up ambassadors in each community to talk to people because there’s no way I can do this myself,” Deb concluded.
She’s hoping, in the very near future, to see people of all ages wearing Better Together t-shirts in Kindersley on Tuesdays. More importantly, she hopes to see people connecting with one another and effectively eliminating loneliness. After all, we are and always will be better together.
Founders of Better Together T-Shirt Project: L-R: Deb McNabb and Allysa Woodrow.