Emergency response elves delivered several sacks and boxes of donated toys to Bluewater Health Friday for children in hospital over Christmas.
Emergency response elves delivered several sacks and boxes of donated toys to Bluewater Health Friday for children in hospital over Christmas.
The toys were donated by local residents who dropped them off at the Point Edward Fire Hall in recent weeks during the village fire and rescue service’s annual Santa’s Responders Toy Drive.
“We definitely had a lot more than we did last year,” Gavin Burgess, a firefighter involved in organizing this year’s toy drive, said while making the delivery with others from the village fire hall.
“We filled the truck twice over, and both pickup trucks, so we’re happy.”
Firefighters have posted messages on social media and hand-delivered flyers in the village for several years now asking residents to donate toys.
The project started out delivering the donations to the local hospital and then added St. Clair Child and Youth Services, an agency with its office in Point Edward, which received its toys last week.
“The last two week we had a huge uptick in donations so we’re just grateful for the people of Point Edward,” Burgess said.
“We’re in the business of helping people so it’s good to continue that through the holidays when everyone needs it,” he said. “We’re very happy.”
The kindness and generosity of the toy drive is “overwhelming,” said Kathy Alexander, executive director of the Bluewater Health Foundation.
“This really is just going to bring a sense of comfort and holiday joy,” she said.
The toys will be given to young patients during a special visit by Santa Claus to the hospital.
“Being a kid in hospital is never fun or easy,” but providing them with the gifts donated by the community can help to support the treatment and care they’re receiving, Alexander said.
“We’ve had wonderful donations over the holiday season” to ease what can be a difficult time for patients and to thank hospital workers, she said.
A family donated a Christmas tree for the hospital and carollers have also visited to sing for staff.
Carol Cote and some of her friends began quilting pillow cases for hospital patients over the holidays a few years ago, Alexander said.
They donated 45 pillowcases in 2019 and 100 in both of the last two years.
“This year they made enough for every single patient bed at Bluewater Health – both locations.”
That’s 326 pillow cases for the hospitals in Sarnia and Petrolia, Alexander said.
“They’re all very beautiful – all made by hand – crafted by love.”
Locally Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire chapter has been providing toiletry bags for many years for patients in need of them.
A donation by Barry and Erika Hogan, with Kent and Essex Mutual Insurance and HUB International, will support providing holiday meals for hospital workers on duty Christmas and New Year’s Day.
“It’s another gesture of kindness to recognize and thank the staff who will be away from their families over the holidays,” Alexander said.
“A lot of people shut down over the holiday season but a hospital never does.”
Philly Cheese Jakes in Sarnia prepares a Christmas Dinner Dec. 25 and a meal on New Year’s Day for both day and night shifts at the hospital sites in Sarnia and Petrolia, and off-duty hospital staff volunteer to come in to serve the food to their co-workers, Alexander said.