A small community 1,300 kilometres north of Winnipeg loves apples. Last year, Creston’s community worked a little bit and by the grace of special people who generously donated fruit, boxes, time and transportation, we were able to provide a little of our bounty to a town with none, Shamattawa.
At Christmas last year, Creston’s community saved and gave, and felt the warmth only felt by the giver, knowing that children somewhere far away could feel special. Parents helping other parents. Kids giving from their hearts to other kids. Grandparents helping other grandparents celebrate the joy of children at Christmas.
In 2011, the community did not forget — far from it! The Erickson Elementary School children started a drive to share a lunch with their schoolmates in Shamattawa. They collected and donated peanut butter, skim milk powder, oatmeal and tuna to provide a healthy meal or two. People in the community who noticed and heard about the project the children were working on brought in peanut butter to support them and the children in Shamattawa. The shipment went out in spring through the efforts of a gentleman going to Winnipeg who offered his truck to carry the load to Perimeter Aviation in Winnipeg.
Throughout the year, people who cared brought in gifts to help the community of Shamattawa. The quilters of Quilts for Kids contributed 25 beautiful quilts of all sizes. Echo Kerr worked all year and made over 50 stuffed and fully dressed teddy bears. People from Rebekah Manor collected gifts for children in a box in their complex’s meeting room. Terrie Faulkner worked with the Bargain Shop and Fields to find great gifts at reasonable prices and kept the Shamattawa spirit alive. People from as far away as Burnaby gave, like George Loveseth who had heard of Creston’s story and sent 30 hand-knitted hats to Creston.
In autumn this year, Ken, Carol, Cathy and Val Shukin and their families offered the ultimate gift: two full skids of apples. The Shukin family was more than generous. In years past, they have personally driven and delivered over 100,000 pounds of apples to Lower Mainland food banks just to help people out, at their own expense, on their own time.
Could we ship the fruit to not one but two destinations, Shamattawa and Lynn Lake, Man.?
Creston’s own Richard and Arlene Hills of Creston Parcel once again stepped up to help. Once we contacted them, they went right to work and connected with Overland West Freight Lines and Ridsdale Transport, which were ready to go once again to deliver to Winnipeg, free — just to help one community help another community.
But our problem was, how would we ship from Winnipeg to Shamattawa? We once again contacted Perimeter Aviation and they kindly suggested Gardewine North Trucking as a company that cares about the communities it serves in the far north. If we were able to get the apples to Thompson, Man., Perimeter Aviation assured us that they would transport them into Shamattawa, simply to help the community.
We contacted that company and were put through to Jim Sinclair. He more than graciously offered to ferry the apples and whatever we could get onto that skid to Thompson and to the Perimeter Aviation cargo department. Even more generously, he offered to ship for no charge another skid of apples and items to another town, Lynn Lake, with a population of 800 that also suffers with a poor economy and many hardships.
Off went the apples, boxes stacked onto skids with boxes of Christmas presents and clothing on top to Shamattawa — almost eight feet high, for no charge.
In November, so many people stopped by and gave. A donation box for Shamattawa was put at the Home Style Café in Kitchener and people gave. As a group, ideas came in.
Toys this year were decided on and the word went out. We wanted Barbies for the young girls. Well, over 110 Barbies came in to the hospital. We mentioned Nerf toys and they came in boxes and bags. DVDs suitable for children and families arrived. Jewelry arrived. Some already arrived gift-wrapped. Special gifts like porcelain dolls and teddy bears arrived from special people. We realized that our small community has a heart bigger than itself and that people care enough in this fast paced world to think of those less fortunate than themselves.
We contacted Sgt. Shayne Smith of the Shamattawa RCMP detachment and he was most grateful for the gifts already received. When talking to him, we mentioned the possibility of gift-wrapping some of the gifts. “Yes,” he said. “Send them to us at the Thompson Perimeter Aviation Cargo department, and we’ll take them from there,” was his suggestion. His detachment is more than willing to help get the gifts to each child in that community in time for Christmas — Santa’s elves in navy blue and yellow.
We contacted the adult day program clients of Swan Valley Lodge and Crest View Village residents and asked if they were interested in helping the RCMP and the children of Shamattawa by wrapping some of the gifts for them. They were excited to help and astounded us with their drive. Overwaitea Foods generously donated wrapping paper, bags and candy canes. Terrie Faulkner spent her days bringing in boxes of gifts to each of those homes to the ladies and gentlemen who so generously gave up their time to help children they will never meet. The Barbies, Hot Wheels, Nerf toys, jewelry and more came back to Terrie beautifully wrapped and boxed, ready to ship. What a timesaver for the RCMP in Shamattawa!
Our local Gleaners helped us find those special Christmas stockings, Christmas lights and gift bags for the gifts previously sent to Shamattawa.
Creston Parcel was instrumental once again in shipping out that skid of Christmas gifts to children in a town just in time for Christmas. Enough cannot be said to thank Richard and Arlene Hills.
We received word last week the shipment has reached Shamattawa, with a gift for each child. In this season of giving, our little community showed that selflessness is far reaching. It can impact someone far away who, even just for a day, will have the special feeling that they are not alone in this world. People care. There is a Santa in every one of us.
— BY MURIEL BUHR