Hundreds of Grande Prairie and area seniors will get an extra gift this holiday season. In just 10 days, all 600 Stocking Stuffers for Seniors tags at London Drugs were picked up by members of the community.
Grande Spirit Foundation General Manager Steve Madden says he’s never seen them get taken so quickly adding they are usually up in the store for around three weeks.
“I don’t even know if they were up for two weeks, to be honest with you. The community jumped in and they’re gone. From what I’ve been told, over 600 tags were put up on November 18th and they were gone by the 28th.”
During the program, people pick up a gift tag with the wishlist of a local senior, they buy the items and return them to London Drugs. It has been going on in the city for the last four or five years and when it started, around 200 seniors were receiving gifts. Now over 600 seniors from five Grande Spirit Foundation lodges benefit from the program.
Madden says the holidays can sometimes be hard for seniors if their families are too far away but a program like this helps keep some of the tradition alive.
“It’s greatly appreciated when people can drop by and see a senior. It means a lot to people to be able to celebrate a long time standing tradition that we all know so much about; to fill a seniors’ heart with that is greatly appreciated.”
For people that did take a tag, the gifts need to be back at London Drugs by December 10th. For those unable to fulfil the requests, they are asked to bring the tag back as soon as possible so that someone else can.
