The Kiwanis Club of Saint Andrews put together around 120 Christmas food baskets for local seniors who mainly live alone.
Each basket is filled with some food items, holiday treats, and a hand-written card from students at Vincent Massey Elementary School.
There was plenty of people on hand to pack the bags, like an assembly line, with community members giving back. (Nathalie Sturgeon/The Courier)
Sue Lister, Kiwanis Club of Saint Andrews member, said it is a nice way to spread community cheer during the holidays.
“They get a chance to say hi to a Kiwanian, get a wonderful basket of treats, and we just say thank you for being part of our community,” she said in an interview with The Courier.
Kids from the community also get involved with fundraising for the baskets, packing the bags, and ultimately delivering them.
“Those are our kids,” she said. “This is the second year that the kids have helped us out by putting our baskets together and they love it. They said it was the highlight of their year as one of the community things that they do all year long.”
There are also about 12 poinsettias available for people with dietary restrictions and any form of diabetes.
The Kiwanis Club of Saint Andrews has been doing this for about 50 years, but the tradition has grown. (Nathalie Sturgeon/The Courier)
According to Lister, the tradition started nearly 50 years ago and has continued to grow. It began with just a few items and now is a full basket.
“It’s important to keep it alive and keep it going because it is such a feel-good for our club and hopefully for the community as well,” Lister explained. “All of our items are purchased locally as well, so it helps the local economy.”
She said in the end, they get a lot of thank-yous, even in the form of cards.
“We get a lot of thank you cards, which is wonderful to read. How pleased they were that somebody stopped in. That somebody remembered them,” she said.
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