Empathy drives Devon woman to help Edmontonians in need with hot meals

Shannon Dimarco spends the third Saturday of every month making a feast for Edmontonians who need it most. CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg has her story.

Once a month, a Devon woman spends her morning preparing a hot meal to serve to the needy in Edmonton.

Shannon DiMarco has faced more than her fair share of struggles, but she says giving back is the most important way she can spend her time.

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DiMarco spends the third Saturday of every month preparing a feast made from her kitchen in the bedroom community 25 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.

She takes her crockpots to Butler Park in west Edmonton, where there is a need for hot food and warm clothes.

“I think it’s important for everybody to have empathy towards one another,” DiMarco told CTV News Edmonton.

DiMarco knows what it’s like to have an invisible struggle.

She was diagnosed with lupus at tage 12. Immunosuppressants left her vulnerable when she caught pneumonia.

She lost both her legs and mobility in her hands.

Still, she considers herself lucky.

“I always had people,” DiMarco said. “Then I would look at somebody else, and they didn’t have anybody come to see them, and that breaks my heart.”

DiMarco volunteers with Edmonton Helping Hands, a local group that gives food, clothes and other necessities to struggling people.

“Shannon’s amazing, but she doesn’t just help us, though. She does quilts for seniors, quilts for children. Like, she never stops,” said Tina Bryan, who runs Edmonton Helping Hands.

DiMarco says while she could feel pity, or anger, she would rather spend her time doing what makes her happy.

“There are still people out there, though, that have had so much worse than me,” she said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg