It turned out the Community Hamper Association had a record number of people looking for hampers this year. And, as such, they needed a record number of toys for its Angel Tree. And the Estevan Kinette Club would need to find a record number of pyjamas for kids through its PJ project, since each kid who gets a toy through the Angel Tree also gets pyjamas. When the association started seeking requests in September and the applications came in quickly (thankfully, people didn’t wait for the last minute) they knew this year was going to be busy. The community was there for them. The Mercury was proud to support the Angel Tree and the PJ Project with its Christmas Wish List campaign. And there were many businesses that stepped forward as well, with donations of cash, toys and pyjamas to help people have a better Christmas.
“There were a lot of kids out in Bienfait that were really excited to see Santa Claus, and that’s probably the biggest highlight of all,” said Lalonde. If there were kids waiting for them in front of a house, then Santa and the firefighters stopped and posed for a socially distanced photo. The kids also received some hot chocolate packets, candy and candy canes. Lalonde believes they likely visited 40 or 50 kids during the day. “One corner we came around and the kids were already outside waiting for us, and we could see them jumping up and down, with excitement, waiting for us to get there,” said Lalonde.