Mission Possible - To Find and Provide! Maryanne Grobe, a Face of Grassroots

Author Olena Gadomska.

When I stepped into Maryanne Grobe’s home, I was instantly embraced by the smell of freshly baked banana loaf. The sweet, spiced aroma in the air was the first sign of the warm and kind person I was about to meet.

I entered a home lit with soft morning sunshine—everything around radiated grace, coziness, and the welcoming beauty of Maryanne herself.

We placed our aromatic coffee on small tables and settled into chairs. I couldn’t wait to hear her story and to share it with you.

Maryanne Grobe

Maryanne was born in Waterloo Township near Breslau, and Maryhill, part of Waterloo County. Her family has German roots, and her four children are already the sixth generation of Canadians. Maryanne’s parents were a powerful example of humanity, kindness, and responsibility. Their hearts embraced a young orphan from Yugoslavia, whom they adopted.

“He wasn’t my blood brother,” Maryanne says, “but he became my brother through the kindness of my parents. Every time we meet, he says, “We are Blessed”.

Maryanne’s volunteer story began back in the 1990s and continues to this day, but let’s start from the beginning.

Years ago, following her heart and love for painting, Maryanne joined the local Waterloo County Painters Guild, where they created Memory Boxes for women who had lost newborn babies.

These decorative boxes held the first and sadly, last items of the baby: a tiny hat, a hospital bracelet, and handprint cards. They carried compassion, tenderness, and comfort during the hardest of times.

“It was, and still is, my way of saying: 'You are not alone,” she recalls. To this day, Maryanne and a few women still paint these boxes.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴

One morning, as the war in Ukraine was already raging, Maryanne was flipping through the local paper and came across an article - Karen Martin from Maryhill had taken in Ukrainian refugees. At the bottom of the article, there was a small note:

“To volunteer, contact Grassroots. Contact: Stephanie…”

Maryanne wrote down the number, called, and left a message. A few days later:

– “Hi, this is Stephanie from Grassroots. How can you help?”

– “I have no special skills, but I can fill Welcome baskets.”

– “Wonderful. You’re added to the volunteer list.”

That short call became the beginning of her volunteer journey with Grassroots.

𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽

One of her most vivid memories is from one of those early tasks - the trip to Toronto to meet a young Ukrainian couple and drop them off at their host family’s home on McGarry Crescent.

“Welcome to Canada,” she told them, their luggage in her trunk - just one suitcase each, and a backpack.

“That really struck me,” says Maryanne. “I thought, my goodness - their entire life in two suitcases… I can’t imagine what these people went through. They didn’t choose to come - the war forced them. They fled. It’s just unimaginable, having to leave your country like that.”

Once, Maryanne kindly welcomed a young man from Ukraine into her home. He stayed for a week and then moved into a student dorm. We kept in touch. From time to time, I would message him: ‘How are you doing?’ He knew he could reach out to me," says Maryanne.

She remembers another emotional moment - delivering household items to a family.

“They had nothing. And when Maria saw what we brought, she just stood there, looking, crying. ‘Is this all for us?’ - she couldn’t believe it,” Maryanne recalls.

Today, Maryanne is volunteering with the Household Donation Team at Grassroots and is fully focused on collecting donations. She either finds everyday essentials herself or is contacted by people who want to give. These contributions help improve the lives of newly arrived Ukrainians living in host homes.

Her garage has become a mini warehouse for humanitarian support. Her phone rings constantly - someone needs a mattress, others need frying pans or a kettle, and small furniture, someone’s looking for a child’s bike - and always, she offers her warm, caring words.

She doesn’t get discouraged by the occasional “We have everything” or “We’re okay” responses from Ukrainians.

She gently finds out what they truly need - and somehow, she makes it happen.

Maryanne keeps in touch with many of the Ukrainians she has helped. She’s not just “the dish lady” - she’s a friend, a language teacher, an emotional support, and sometimes even a “mom” for those who left their parents thousands of kilometres away.

Today, Maryanne is a key figure in ensuring Ukrainian newcomers get what they need most. She has a remarkable mind for tracking what’s where, who needs what, and how to get it there - fast.

Maryanne isn’t interested in thanks. She’s interested in action.

“If you can do something - do it. That’s what being human is,” she says.