Pupils at Sarnia’s St. Anne Catholic school have pitched in to help brighten the holidays for 90 Lambton Elderly Outreach clients.
Advertisement 2
Article content
A Grade 6-7 class organized a drive that collected 333 items, including cookies, candy and puzzles, for the agency’s annual client gift campaign.
Article content
Lambton Elderly Outreach provides residents over 60, and adults with disabilities, with transportation, in-home support, Meals on Wheels and other services.
“All of our staff nominate clients they feel are in need of some holiday cheer,” said Amy Weiler, community engagement specialist with the Reece’s Corners-based agency. “And then we put together a nice gift for them to remind them they’re not alone (and) the community cares.”
Recipients may not have family living nearby and may be alone over the holidays, she said.
The agency, with help from local donors, has been offering the gift bags for more than a decade, Weiler said.
Advertisement 3
Article content
Teacher Amanda Bouma said her class’s collection drive ran for 12 days starting Dec. 1, with pupils bringing in donations.
“My class loved doing it,” she said. “They learned so many things. They made posters, they did announcements, they went class-to-class.”
Pupils even put math skills to use figuring out how many of their items could end up in each gift bag, she said.
“I think it’s really important that they realize that there are people in the community that need to have support from others” and that “it’s not all about kids at Christmas,” Bouma said.
The kids were excited to see what donations came in each day during the campaign, she said. “When they were going out the other day, they were like, ‘Holy cow, look at how many things we got.’ ” she said.
Advertisement 4
Article content
“They were pretty pumped about it,” Bouma said. “We’re able to show them that giving is great.”
All classes at The Rapids Parkway school gathered in the gym one day to make cards to include in the gift bags.
Brigden Central elementary schoolers also made cards, Weiler said, and a local family has a tradition of making cards for the project each year. “It’s an important part of the gift.”
The project gives pupils a chance to think about their own grandparents and what it might be like if they were alone during the holidays, she added.
This year’s gift bag program also aims to help clients with food security, Weiler said.
“We know a lot of people in Sarnia-Lambton. . . are having to make the choice between rent, heat, water and food,” she said.
The gift bags are a project of Lambton Elderly Outreach’s social wellness committee, and agency staff spent a day recently assembling the bags for delivery.
“It’s a big undertaking,” Weiler said.
Article content