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Project Christmas Elf returns to the Okanagan

Launched in Vernon in December 2016, this annual project aims to help those in need during the holiday season.
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All donations help ensure there are presents under the tree for those in need. (File photo)

Whether you believe in Santa Claus or not, there’s no denying these elves are not make-believe.

For the third year, Project Christmas Elf has returned to Okanagan. Launching in Vernon in December 2016, this now-annual project aims to help people in need during the holiday season.

Kathy Mackay is this year’s project organizer and Facebook page administrator. She has been involved in the project since its genesis.

“This is really truly just a public page that Dianne Evans started in December 2016 because she saw on Kijiji that a family was looking for someone who could help them out and so, she decided to start this project,” said Mackay. “She began by posting it on the buy-and-sell and other Facebook pages — that’s actually how I saw it — and people from the community just came together to help out this family.”

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She explained that in 2016, they were able to help out a few families. Then last year, a young mother Jessika Lawson took it over as the project gained momentum. This year, neither Evans or Lawson was able to commit to the project so Mackay, who has been a sponsor since the project began, stepped up as coordinator.

“Within the first five minutes of me posting this year, I had three families reach out for help and it’s amazing,” said Mackay. “Basically, its just trying to get the community to come together in the spirit of the holidays. The main goal of it was to match families experiencing financial stress with others who could help them out in some way.”

Anyone interested in the project is encouraged to join the Facebook group: Project Christmas Elf (Okanagan and Shuswap). Though the project was launched out of Vernon, anyone within the Okanagan-Shuswap region is invited to reach out — whether that be for help or to offer support.

Mackay said the process is relatively simple. If interested in supporting the project in some way, she encourages you to go to the Facebook group and read about the families before donating. If seeking help, she said to message her directly. She will then post the necessary information about the family — this often includes family demographics, ages of children and what they need. Then, “the elves” can donate money, provide gifts for specific family members, give gift cards to grocery stores, gas stations or restaurants, or donate specific services like haircuts. Mackay will collect the items at her house and then deliver them to the families.

“It doesn’t have to be huge. Lots of people want to help and can only do something small and it’s just such a relief to these people,” she said. “The small little things we take for granted are often so huge for them.”

By remaining the middle-man, Mackay ensures anonymity for those in need — and in a way, she said, this also ensures they maintain their dignity.

“One thing that’s great about this is that people are just taken at their word. They don’t have to prove their situation or show us their finances. If they’re reaching out for help — and that’s a really hard thing for lots of people — then we will help them as best we can and this allows them to keep their dignity,” said Mackay, who has been sponsoring families through various organization in the area for about 15 years. “Often when you go to an agency, people will have to bring in bank statements and IDs and prove that they’re not trying to scam the system and that makes a lot of people really feel defeated so that’s one thing I really love about this project and the way we do it.”

As of Friday afternoon, only about two weeks since the 2018 project launched, the project has had 14 families signed up to receive help this Christmas. Mackay said that people are getting behind the project and have already begun donating.

“Thank you elves for all the donations so far: money, toys, clothing, food — new and used [items], great mix. There’s still more coming and it’s not even December yet,” wrote Mackay on the public page. “I really hope we can make this a success like last year, so my sincerest thank you to everyone and my encouragement to those who need it right now… and may we all have a lovely, happy and peaceful Christmas — and a prosperous 2019.”

Donations are accepted until Dec. 25.

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