When a Community Steps Up: 150 Pairs of Shoes, Cameras, and a Very Full Truck Heading North
- Dre Erwin
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
What started as a simple idea to get some youth active has turned into one of the most incredible displays of community generosity I have ever witnessed.
As many of you know, alongside my photography work, my day job is as a primary care nurse. Next week, I am heading 740 kilometers up north to return to a permanent clinical role in the remote community of Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan. While I am there for nursing, my personal passion is launching youth mental health initiatives centered around sports and therapeutic photography.
I knew there was a desperate need for basic gear up north—especially proper footwear to even get these kids on a court. So, before leaving Regina, I put out a call for gently used sneakers and old cameras.
Regina, Moose Jaw, and the surrounding communities absolutely blew my expectations out of the water.
The Final Tally
Over the last few weeks, my phone has been ringing off the hook from colleagues at the PACU, complete strangers, and local supporters wanting to make a difference. To show the sheer scale of what came in, we took the drone up and arranged everything in the backyard into a massive pickleball paddle!
We are officially heading north with:
Over 150 pairs of shoes: Filling a desperate need and removing a massive barrier for these kids to play.
5-6 DSLR cameras, lenses, and miscellaneous gear: This is a total game-changer for the therapeutic photography program.
13 pickleball rackets & a brand new net: The foundation for our new school league!
Countless children's books, clothing, and other essentials.
Reaching Beyond Regina
The momentum of this drive has been unbelievable. We have folks in Saskatoon who are loading up and bringing donations directly to Sandy Bay for us, and others who are actually packaging up gear and mailing it straight up north.
The generosity has been so overwhelming that I have had to start denying physical donations simply because there is absolutely zero room left in my truck. I even had several doctors generously offer monetary donations to the cause. While I am incredibly grateful for those offers, I respectfully declined them. For now, the heart of this drive is strictly about community sharing—getting slightly used gear out of closets and giving it a second life up north. It is about taking the things we no longer use and passing them on to kids who desperately need them.
The Best Problem to Have
There is just one tiny logistical issue right now: my truck is at 100% capacity.
It is literally overflowing with donations, which is the absolute best problem to have. However, I still haven't packed my own clothes, my bedding, my food, or my own astrophotography equipment for the move. Playing Tetris in the truck bed today is going to be an extreme sport, especially making sure Mateo still has a comfortable spot in the cab for the 8-hour drive!
If I am lucky enough to get some summer vacation time this year (fingers crossed after 20+ years!), I hope to be back down in Regina later this summer and will gladly do another donation run for all the folks I missed this time around.
What's Next?
I will be collaborating directly with the amazing teachers at the local school in Sandy Bay to get these programs running and make sure this gear gets into the hands of the youth who need it most.
Thank you to every single person who donated, shared a post, or offered support. You are directly helping these kids stay active, engaged, and supported.
Stay tuned to the blog and my social channels—I’ll be sharing more updates and some northern lights photography once we are settled in up north!
About Dre Erwin
I am a Registered Nurse with Additional Authorized Practice (RN-AAP) with over 20 years of experience in critical care and primary care. On June 8th, I am returning to northern Saskatchewan to take on a permanent primary care role in Sandy Bay. Alongside my clinical work, I am deeply passionate about youth mental health. I previously founded the Pinehouse Photography Club and use therapeutic photography to help young people build resilience, find community, and express themselves.
You can read more about my upcoming move and these community initiatives in a recent feature on SaskToday: RN returns north to launch youth mental health programs.
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