Supporter began Third World assistance project

Ted van der Zalm wanted to make the most of his retirement years and today, the Warehouse of Hope in St. Catharines, Ontario stands as a monument to that ambition.

A strongely committed pro-lifer, van der Zalm died in St. Catharines April 15 at age 67. After retiring from the flower business in 1987, van der Zalm became active with the Warehouse of Hope project which involved the collection and shipping of food, clothing and office equipment to needy people in the Third World.

The Warehouse of Hope was featured in the December, 1995 issue of The Interim.

“We live by the old adage - give a man a fish and he eats for one day. Teach that man to fish and he feeds himself and his family for a lifetime,” van der Zalm said in 1996.

Friends and family recall van der Zalm as a tireless organizer who was dedicated to easing the suffering of people in under-developed countries.

The funeral Mass was celebrated April 20 at St. Alfred’s Church in St. Catharines.