The 2nd annual Holiday In A Box campaign has been launched by the Saint John Police Force and the city's neighbourhood organizations. Image by Tamara Steele.
The second annual Holiday In A Box campaign is underway.
It’s a partnership between the Saint John Police Force, ONE Change, P.U.L.S.E, Carleton Community Centre, the Waterloo Village Neighbourhood Association and the Crescent Valley Resource Centre.
Participants are asked to fill a shoe box with items for adults who may be alone this holiday season.
It’s recommended the boxes include toiletries, gift cards, wrapped candy, socks, mitts, gloves, notebooks, pens, tape, a small tool kit and playing cards.
Sample boxes on display at a Monday news conference at the Saint John Police Force headquarters also included puzzle books and chocolate.
Police Chief Robert Bruce said he was very proud of how the community stepped up last year with seniors and children bringing their boxes in, a total of 467 were contributed.
Tamara Kelly, executive director at ONE Change in the north end, said people came by after Christmas to say how appreciated the boxes were.
“Some had little gifts in them. Whether it be an ornament or maybe a book. Some of our residents really like to draw so, a little sketchbook or a pencil. Neat little things that made it feel special and made it feel like the gift is for them,” Kelly said.
Chief Bruce said he thinks a lot of us take things for granted.
“The more that I am out there and our people are out there with the public talking to our priority neighbourhoods, we just see that the things we often take for granted, people don’t take for granted. They look at it as something, ‘wow, I’ve got this’ We wouldn’t think anything about a toothbrush or at least, I wouldn’t, ” Bruce said.
The boxes must be delivered to the police station unwrapped by December 12th.
All of the boxes will be distributed evenly between the five neighbourhood groups.
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