The idea of a city-wide “Big Give” dates back to 2009. A local church in Ottawa had just completed The 40 Days of Community by Rick Warren. The challenge at the end of the book study was to find a church-wide project that would reach the community in a unique way.

Kathy Blakely woke up early one morning with the idea of a free garage sale. It was something that was easy to do and wouldn’t cost the church a lot of money. As she shared her vision with others, it became evident that this was a “God idea.” The first Big Give was held that year, and Kathy had a dream to see churches all over the city do the same thing on the same day.

In 2014, Richard Long of Love Ottawa heard of the idea and approached Kathy about partnering together. A committee was formed, and in June of 2015, 55 churches across the nation’s capital joined together for a unified day of radical giving.

Through the ongoing partnership with Love Ottawa and One Way Ministries, the team hopes the event will continue to grow and be an incredible blessing to communities in Ottawa and across the country.

  • 2015 – 55 participating Churches in the Ottawa area
  • 2016 – 66 participating Churches in Ottawa and the surrounding communities
  • 2017 – 92 participating Churches in Ottawa, Arnprior, Toronto (GTA), Montreal, Brockville, Cornwall, Sidney BC, Simcoe and other communities!
  • 2018 – 130 participating Churches in Ottawa, Arnprior, Cobden, Pembroke, Toronto (GTA), Montreal, Brockville, Cornwall, Prescott, Morrisburg, Perth, Lindsay, Brantford, Brighton, Gatineau, Rockland, Pickering, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Sidney BC, Charlottetown PEI and many other communities!
  • 2019 – 137 participating Churches in Ottawa, Arnprior, Cobden, Pembroke, Shawville, Lively, Toronto (GTA), Montreal, Brockville, Cornwall, Morrisburg, Perth, Almonte, Lindsay, Port Hope, Brantford, Burlington, Chatham, Brighton, Gatineau, Alymer, Rockland, Pickering, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Sidney BC, Creston BC, Charlottetown PEI and many other communities!
  • 2022 – 52 participating Churches in Ottawa, Arnprior, Carleton Place, Pembroke, Lively, Toronto (GTA), Brockville, Perth, Port Hope, Montreal QC, Shawville QC, Sidney BC, Truro NS, Amherst NS and many other communities!