By Kathy Gallant

Secret Santa group focuses on M.L. seniors

Nov 1, 2017 | 12:00 PM

While Christmas is still two months away, a group of Meadow Lakers have been shopping for seniors in the community all year long, and are busy organizing their yearly giving campaign.

Meadow Lake’s Senior Secret Santa group was created a few years ago to provide holiday gift packages for senior citizens of the community. This includes residents of the Northland Pioneers Lodge, the various seniors’ homes in Meadow Lake and Dorintosh, and residents who live at home or are on assisted living.

Janice Handspiker, one of the group’s organizers, said seniors can often be forgotten during Christmas gift giving. The program is completely run by volunteers and donations.

“They thought we would just do a few, but we ended up bringing 50 or 60 to the lodge the first year,” she said. “Last year we did 274, and this year we’re hoping to do 255 this year. Nobody should be without a Christmas gift.”

The packages typically include new shampoo, lotion, body wash, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, and puzzle or crossword. Handspiker said depending on what is donated, sometimes slippers and throw blankets are also included. This year, Lakeview School students will be making handmade cards to add in as well.

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“It’s become quite the community event,” she said. “We pack the bags about a week before Christmas, and we have groups that deliver them on Christmas Eve.”

She said the response from the seniors has been very positive.

“Sometimes it’s more about the visit than the present,” Handspiker said. “One lady [last year] said she hadn’t gotten a gift since her husband died 10 years ago. Some are lower income, many are living on pensions, so if we can give them something they don’t buy for themselves, that’s special.”

The program is anonymous. The volunteers are only given an address, and whether the person is male or female. The group also tries to prepare a few unisex packages as well.

Handspiker said a donation box will be set up at Madills Drug store soon, or people can contact her directly at (306) 236-1704 if they would like to donate or help with the cause. There is also a Facebook group people can join.

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca  

On Twitter @ReporterKath