Southern gift-givers send Christmas cheer to Nunavut kids
“I had to help bring a smile to a child’s face”
A Facebook group set up by southern donors across Canada has sent holiday gifts to people in 18 northern communities this year, reaching 3,400 children. This is the fourth year the Northern Canada Mini Projects group has given gift to children and families in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and northern Manitoba. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
A charitable group has come together for the fourth year to send holiday gifts to children in northern Canada.
Cindy Dhillon, a British Columbia resident who runs the Facebook page Northern Canada Mini Projects, said that over the last seven weeks, group members sent gifts to 3,400 kids in 18 northern communities in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba.
Fourteen of the communities they reached are in Nunavut. In Naujaat alone 466 students received gift packages. Over 300 students in each of Taloyoak, Coral Harbor, Sanikiluaq and Pond Inlet also received gifts.
“I am aware that some of the poorest children and families are in these northern communities, and they do not have access to Santa due to personal finances and their geographical isolation,” Dhillon said.
The group makes initial community contact with teachers or social workers before the holidays to build a relationship and learn about their needs, Dhillon said.
That initial relationship can lead to helping in other ways, such as supporting elder groups or art therapy, or providing warm clothing and soup kitchen support, she said.
“A lot of small northern communities feel forgotten and not cared for by the rest of Canada, so things like the Christmas gifts remind them that their southern family knows they are there and we are thinking of them,” Dhillon said.
The Facebook group and its projects first came about when Dhillon realized even small, random acts of kindness can make a deep impact on people in northern communities.
To Dhillon, sending donations to children living in poverty in Africa or Central America is “wonderful and needed,” but she said Canada has a large population of kids who could “use an unexpected visit from Santa too.”
Group members send gifts such as hats, mittens, nail polish, comics and slime. Each eight-by-10 envelope contains 10 items.
Benita Pryma, a member of the group who lives in Prince George, B.C., used to do Christmas boxes for children in other countries.
But when she saw the needs in northern Canada, she said she was “eager to bring Christmas cheer to Nunavut.”
“I saw the prices in fly-in communities and I knew it might be a struggle for parents to provide a gift so I had to help bring a smile to a child’s face,” Pryma said.
She sent kids’ packages to Hall Beach, Cambridge Bay and Qikiqtarjuaq—and even some gifts for elders.
Another member, Kaye Simpson from Spruce Grove, Alta. said she sent at least a dozen packages to five different Nunavut communities.
And, for the first time, Dhillon expanded the project to include care packages and gifts for teachers working in the Arctic.
“The Arctic teachers are quiet, stealth ninja heroes in my opinion,” Dhillon said.
“Many schools in northern Canada cannot recruit and retain enough Inuit or southern teachers and [teachers] start off their school year with the challenge of doing whatever is needed for the benefit of the socialization and education of their kids.”
Over 100 teachers from eight communities between Paulatuk, Northwest Territories and Grise Fiord, Nunavut, are receiving these holiday packages.
“But regardless of their challenges, northern teachers are dedicated to investing in their school, community and the kids they wholeheartedly believe in … Hopefully we can expand to include more teachers next year,” Dhillon said.
This is such a positive thing that these people that don’t know who they are sending gifts to but it shows that there is still love and caring during the Holiday season. Thank you!
Cindy’s group send these gifts to all of the students and staff at Inuksuit School in Qikiqtarjuaq this year! We will be opening them next week on the last day of school before the feast. Thank you for all of your kindness and effort, Cindy and Friends!
This could not be accomplished without the exceptional organizational skills of Cindy, as well as the all the wonderful supporters of this amazing group of giving individuals.
For anyone new, the photo is an example of the Christmas stockings sent to elders. The children all receive a large envelope stuffed with many surprises! That’s 3,400 kids! Well done!!!
You don’t mean to disparage the efforts? Really? What on earth do you see here that is “landfill bound crap”? Socks, for feet, not landfill. Soap, for washing, not landfill. Pens & notebooks for writing, not landfill. Cards, for game-playing, not landfill. Lip-balm, for comfort, not landfill. Decorative Christmas stockings, re-usable Christmas decor, not landfill. Hairbrush, for grooming, not landfill. Small amount of candy for treat-eating, not landfill. Christmas cards, for greeting (and recycling), not landfill. Check your privilege. What you refer to as “crap” are gifts of comfort, and messages of caring to those whom, as the article states, Santa can’t reach.
Touche!.. well said ‘Observer’!?♥️
Two negative disparaging comments. You must have a lot of time on your hands. Don’t like the article ? Move right along. Bothered by it all? How about being proactive & turn your negativity into something positive. It’s so simple.
Merry Christmas!
The donors work really hard to ensure the packages contain things that can be used and are needed. And as mentioned in the article many of the items are requested/suggested by the contact in the Community. But if you think you can do better, join the page and share your ideas & send a package (or 10) of things you think would be better (and not end up in the landfill).
that got me wonder if i could receive gift
HONN and the offshoot Northern Canada Mini Projects has been sending donations to our school and community for 4 years. They have supplied boxes of fixings for our elder hampers, Secret Santa gifts for students and staff, clothing, books for our library, donations for rummage sale (the proceeds are used to pay for the turkeys in the elder hampers), soup kitchens, ongoing food sponsorship for families etc….and so much more. I have come to know the people who send donations to us by the names on the boxes and Facebook. They are people from all over Canada who care enough about their fellow Canadians to send some help because they understand that people in the North are struggling everyday to put food on the table. They are not rich people. They are average Canadians who understand the concepts of faith, hope and charity. They put very big smiles on the faces of kids in our school when they get to open their presents. A big thank you to Cindy and all her elves across Canada who have kept this program going strong for the last 4 years.! Merry Christmas!