February 26, 2025

How Donating to the Giving Tree Brought Peace After Loss

Jim Walters instilled in his family from an early age the importance of giving back. Julie Bell, his daughter, upheld this principal even after he died to honor her parents’ legacy.

Julie moved back to Des Moines in 2020 to care for her elderly parents. Her mom, Joann Walters, died during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, her dad, Jim Walters, was diagnosed with cancer. He received care from an oncology group for a year until everyone agreed it was time for him to transition to hospice care at an independent residence.

“If someone would have told me years ago that I would have the strength and bandwidth to watch my dad experience hospice care after I’d just lost my mom, I wouldn’t believe them,” Julie said. “But with EveryStep, the process was a beautiful way to end my dad’s life. He was comfortable, safe and secure.”

When Jim passed, it was time for the Walters’ family to take care of the house. They had an understanding to take whatever they wanted from the house but would donate the rest. There were some sentimental items and family momentos, but the rest of the house was full of gently used furniture with years of life left in it. Julie immediately thought of the EveryStep Giving Tree Thrift Store as the perfect way to donate items. The Giving Tree proceeds help provide hospice care for those in need, while offering furniture, home goods and clothing at discounted prices.

“Donating to The Giving Tree couldn’t have been easier — we rented a U-Haul and their staff met us at the door of the store to help unload,” Julie said. “Most of what we donated was hardly used, we just didn’t have homes for it. Because of our connection to EveryStep, donating to the Giving Tree gave us peace of mind that our parents items would give back to an organization that helped us when we needed it.”

Over the course of the next few months, Julie would visit the Giving Tree every few weeks to see what items from their donation had been sold. Every time she went, there were fewer and fewer of her parents’ items left. The last item to sell was a small bird figurine; Jim was an avid collector of bird figures. When it was gone, Julie felt peace that all her parents’ items found new homes.

“It felt really good to donate their items and slowly see them disappear over time,” Julie said. “Their items may have filled a void or need in people’s lives who didn’t have those things – or were just fun little treasures for shoppers to find. Knowing we helped EveryStep make proceeds to help others gave me even more peace of mind — I know that’s what my parents would have wanted.”

To learn more about the donating to and shopping at the Giving Tree, visit: https://www.everystep.org/services/thrift-store.