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Guelph dentist gives back with peanut butter

Also gives patients a chance to give back as well through special fundraiser for Hope House
20160810 Dr.Yabut ro
Dr. Reymarie Yabut is collecting peanut butter for Hope House. (Rob O'Flanagan/GuelphMercury)

A couple of baskets filled with jars of peanut butter are not something you often see in a dentist’s waiting room. But Dr. Reymarie Yabut of the Dr. Yabut Smile family dentistry practice at 215 Woolwich Street does things a little differently.

Yabut is celebrating 16 years in her Guelph practice. She said Wednesday during an open-house and client appreciation day at the clinic that she has always felt compelled to help the less fortunate in the community — to give back out of gratitude for her successful practice.

Peanut butter is a staple on the shelves of Hope House’s Food Market. The market is a kind of food bank that works on a model that allows clients to chose their own items based on a points system, coupled with a mentorship program to help with budgeting and prioritizing food needs.

“This is a way to say thank you to the patients we do have, and for them to mingle with us,” Yabut said, speaking of the annual open-house. 

“We don’t really have a chance to chat with them when they are in the dentist’s chair,” she added with a chuckle. “We also want to give the patients a chance to give back as well, so that we can share with the community. So we have the peanut butter fundraiser. People really want to share.”

Yabut is matching all peanut butter donations. There were a couple dozen or so jars on the premises just after 3 p.m. on Wednesday. There was also a big cake ready to be sliced into. Between 3 and 6 p.m., guests were welcomed to meet with staff, tour the office and enjoy refreshments.

Yabut received her doctorate of dental medicine from University of East in Manila, Philippines. She practiced for about five years in her home country before moving with her family to Canada in 1989. She practiced in Toronto for a few years, and then took over the practice of a retiring Guelph dentist in 2000.

Dr. Yabut has a strong connection to Hope House, which began as a multi-facetted social program of Lakeside Church, a church she belongs to. Her clinic took an active role in fundraising to purchase Norfolk Street United Church in 2012, which became the home of Lakeside Hope House and its many programs. Yabut sits on the board of directors of Hope House.

“Part of the vision of Lakeside is to have a tangible way of reaching out to members of the Guelph community that are less fortunate, and being the hands and feet of Jesus,” she said.

Yabut attributes the success of her practice to giving patients the “most comfortable and pleasant way of visiting a dentist.” She added that her staff contributes immeasurably in creating that atmosphere.

“Being real, I think that is the biggest part,” she added.


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Rob O'Flanagan

About the Author: Rob O'Flanagan

Rob O’Flanagan has been a newspaper reporter, photojournalist and columnist for over twenty years. He has won numerous Ontario Newspaper Awards and a National Newspaper Award.
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