Two Miles for Mary held their 39th annual pancake breakfast and radiothon event at the Prince Albert Heritage Seniors Centre Friday.
“It was really wonderful to see so many people from the community come out and support Seniors Transportation,” said Kayla Pollock, Vocational Counsellor and Program Facilitator with the Prince Albert Community Service Centre. “We had about 150 people attend the breakfast and they gave really positive feedback. It was just an all-around great event for people to connect.”
This year, the organization has raised $26,837.42 as of Sept. 29.
“At this same point last year, we had raised 18,851.80. So we’re currently $7,985.62 ahead of where we were at this time last year. So that is amazing,” Pollock said.
Two Miles for Mary is an annual fundraising campaign and radiothon held for over 30 years to support low-cost transportation services for local seniors.
“It’s very important because as we all know the cost of living, fuel, the cost of vehicles in general—everything is rising. So we want to keep the rides affordable,” she said. “The seniors that are using the service right now, they’ve been a big part of the community for a long time too. So it’s time for us in the younger generations to kind of step up and help support those that worked really hard and are out there now and need the support.”
Pollock added that seeing the community support is “heartwarming.”
“it’s an opportunity to hear personalized stories from the riders themselves, because sometimes we don’t get to hear that side of things,” she said. “So even while I was there, I was able to speak to a few of our loyal riders, and they just gave me so much positive feedback about how friendly our drivers are, how reliable they are, how safe they feel, and how they’ve actually built these really strong connections with the drivers, too. So it’s like they’ve built friendships in and around this transportation program.”
Looking to the future, she hopes it continues to evolve.
“We’re always looking for new ways that we can continue raising money all year round. So although we do have this event that happens one day of the year, we are consistently accepting donations and raising money all year long. So next year will be our 40th annual, we’re hoping we can achieve something big next year also,” said Pollock.
The Two Miles for Mary initiative provides over 6,000 trips each year, helping seniors get to important appointments, grocery stores, day centres, and other programs that help keep their independence.
“Thank you to the community for showing up for Two Miles for Mary and Senior Transportation. This fundraiser is truly a community effort, and we’re incredibly appreciative of the continued support,” she said.
Those interested in donating or supporting Two Miles for Mary can visit the Two Miles for Mary website.
“Every bit of support helps us continue providing Seniors Transportation here in Prince Albert,” Pollock said. “Two Miles for Mary has always been about community supporting community.”
