Daily Herald
Prince Albert’s homeless population received a warm winter boost on Friday when the community partners who organized Wrapped up for the Holidays presented their final donation on Friday.
Representatives from each partner gathered at a Parkland Ambulance Care Ltd. location to donate toques, blankets, socks, coats, and other winter gear to The Salvation Army, who will in turn distribute it to Prince Albert residents in need.
“Our goal really is to provide warmth to the community. That is really what it started with,'” Lyle Karasiuk, ACP, Director of Support Services and Media Relations Parkland Ambulance Care said. “Originally, (Gateway Mall General Manager) Sharon (Faul) and I thought ‘if we could get a few blankets, people would be warmed,’ and blankets turned into somebody saying ‘I have some coats left. Can I drop off some coats?’ I said, ‘why not?’ And coats went to socks to toques to mittens to boots to shoes to toys. We have got kids sizes, men’s, (and) women’s. We have got everything.”
The donations collected from the various drop off points amounted to loads of winter items that will surely spread warmth during this winter season to the homeless and the needy. It launches The annual campaign usually launches right after Remembrance Day and runs right through to the first week or thereabout in January.
“We are just truly amazed every year because we don’t advertise other than social media with the commercials that CTV does for us.,” Lyle said.”It amazes me that the community by word of mouth and sure enough they show up. We are just so happy that the community does this.”
Karasiuk said this its the 19th year they’ve run a campaign, and support is as strong as ever. Parkland Ambulance, CTV Prince Albert, and the Gateway Mall were the founding partners. Three years ago Anderson Motors joined the group, and this campaign, they added Gray’s Funeral Chapel.
Gray’s Funeral Chapel assistant managers Collette Harnett and Garry Gottfried were also present for the donation, as was Gateway Mall GM Sharon Faul. All three were happy to be part of it.
“My co-worker here, Garry, thought what a great opportunity to not only support the community but to let the community know that we like to support them,” Harnett explained. “We offered our location as a drop off for those in West Hill so that gave a different opportunity for individuals to donate.”
Donations have poured into The Salvation Army since a Christmas Day fire at their downtown location. Karasiuk said they’ve donated to the Salvation Army on a regular basis the past few years, and wanted to do so again.
“Anything that they can’t use such as tattered blankets etc., we end up sending them to the SPCA,” Karasiuk said. “They can cut them up and make sure that the puppies and kittens use them up as well.”
