COCHRANE - The former food bank manager is being remembered as selfless and compassionate.
Cathy Beaton was the manager of the Cochrane Food Bank for about two years before leaving last year after falling ill. She died on Sept. 2, 2024. She was 59.
Her son, Tyler Beaton, told TimminsToday his mom is leaving a legacy of selfless service and compassion driven by a strong desire to help others.
“My mom was one of the most hardworking people I've ever met,” he said. “She put pride in everything she did and always tried to help people.”
This ethos was not just limited to her professional life.
Their home was a haven for exchange students and individuals in need, embodying Cathy’s belief in community and support.
Beaton said his mom’s commitment to helping people was evident in every role she undertook, from her nearly 15 years as a personal support worker to her pivotal role at the Cochrane Food Bank.
“It was her favourite position she'd ever worked in because she could work directly with community members that needed it, while still being able to use her skills and abilities in a way that she wasn't able to in her role at the hospital,” he said.
Beaton highlighted how his mom’s passion for the food bank was not just about the daily operations but about making a tangible difference in the lives of individuals.
He recounted a specific instance where she went “above and beyond” to support a family.
“A family came in and one of the youngest sons really wanted to get into hockey, but they couldn't afford new equipment, and there was not enough at the food bank for them to be able to take,” he said.
“So my mom actually went out and got the information of the kid and what size his feet were, and she said she'd be on the lookout for stuff, but what she really did was she went to Canadian Tire and purchased it on her own.”
Her efforts weren’t for clout, Beaton said.
“She just did it because she genuinely wanted to help people,” he said.
“We struggled a lot growing up financially, and I think she saw that and recognized that in other families that needed help, and just always did her best to try and support people. She was an incredible person.”
Ardis Proulx, the current manager of the food bank, said Cathy’s commitment was unwavering.
“Cathy was very driven and did well in everything she put her mind to,” she said.
“Even when she was ill, she made it a point to share food bank posts on social media and promote the need for assistance.”
Cathy’s commitment to helping others has profoundly impacted her son, who is the executive director at the Ininew Friendship Centre.
The role he started in January allows him to continue his mom’s legacy of community support, Beaton said.
The friendship centre addresses critical social issues, including homelessness. It offers nearly 30 programs, ranging from prenatal support to lifelong care, and focuses heavily on addressing homelessness in the north.
“One of our biggest programs, and the one that my mom was most proud of me for, was our reaching home program, which is a program designed to support homelessness in the north,” Beaton said.
“At a very minimal estimate, we have approximately 80 people in our community that don't have permanent addresses, and that's a combination of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. That's a borderline crisis.”
Beaton said the centre provides food, emergency accommodations and support services for those facing homelessness.
“It's a really, really rewarding job, and our team works exceptionally hard, and I think it's something that my mom really, really liked,” he said.
In her final days, Cathy expressed a desire to return to her work, Beaton said.
“She loved her job with the community so, so, so, so, so much. And one of the biggest struggles she had to come to terms with when she learned she was not going to survive, was that she wasn't going to be able to give back anymore,” he said.
“I think that just speaks so much volume to who she was as a person.”
