Just like everything else this year, the Angel Tree program went somewhat differently. Char Seeman, who is the co-chair of the association with Heather Woodhouse, said that there were a lot of monetary donations. The monetary donations were awesome, the actual toy donations were down. We did buy between 70 and 80 per cent of the toys with the monetary donations we got, Seeman said. Volunteers said that shopping for toys was fun and a bit tricky, as getting gifts for about 400 children required a lot of imagination. When volunteers started running out of ideas they ended up asking friends about what their kids get or want for Christmas. But after all, they were very grateful for the support and donations of all types.
Hamper recipients with a child or children will get to select a toy for each child. When people purchase their toys for the Angel Tree from Your Toy Store & More, they receive a discount. Support for the Angel Tree is part of the Mercury’s Win Your Christmas Wish List promotion. It’s not too late to enter the contest; the deadline to enter is Dec. 15 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, list the items you want from local businesses. Entry forms can be found at www.estevanmercury.ca or in this week’s edition of the Mercury. (Wish list value limit is $1,000).