The Salvation Army in Yellowknife flies out Christmas hampers to remote communities
Being in the Northwest Territories and helping vulnerable clients in such a sparsely populated region comes with unique challenges for the Yellowknife Salvation Army – for example, providing accessibility to the Hamper Program that feeds so many people.
In most parts of Canada, clients come to The Salvation Army’s food bank. However, up north, the Army often needs to go to them, and that can sometimes be easier said than done.
“With some 200 hampers being delivered to these small and somewhat remote communities, just by the sheer number [of registrations], it is easy to see that there is very much a need,” Tony Brushett, Executive Director and Associate Corps Officer of The Salvation Army in Yellowknife, explains.
The Salvation Army in Yellowknife has come up with some special solutions to this problem, like partnering with the airliner Air Tindi, who provides cargo space to fly-out hampers to communities with no road access, and collaborating with community partners in these towns who help package and distribute hampers provided by the army.
A total of 197 Christmas hampers filled with everything a person needs to make a Christmas meal, including turkey, instant mashed potatoes, gravy mix, stuffing, cranberry sauce, canned vegetables, cake mix, and hot chocolate, were delivered by air or land.
“Our community partners appreciate the food assistance we provide so that they can get these Christmas hampers to individuals and families in need during this season of giving,” Derek Pluchinski, Program Manager of NWT Resource Centre & Bailey House explains.
This year, the Friendship Centres and local Health Centres partook and worked alongside The Salvation Army to determine how many families and individuals to feed. Hampers were flown in by Air Tindi to Whatì and Lutsel K’e; meanwhile, Port Providence and Behchokǫ̀ picked up their supplies from local community partners.
An unexpected issue occurred when limited cargo space had The Salvation Army looking for an alternative way to support families in Fort Simpson. Fortunately, the supplies to create these food hampers were purchased by the Army in one of the northern stores in Fort Simpson. The items were packaged and distributed at a local community centre, and everyone registered for assistance thankfully received their Christmas dinner.
The tradition formally called Operation North Pole started in the 1980s as a way to give families a Christmas meal. The communities that The Salvation Army helps up north experience higher than normal food costs and have limited access to certain foods.
“The cost of food is extremely high in some of our northern communities,” Derek Pluchinski said. “There is sometimes a scarcity of certain products.”
This tradition is made possible with the donated cargo space by Air Tindi, warehouse space for packing and distribution by Northbest Distributors LTD, and Northwest Territory Power Corporation for the grant given for food purchases.
Another notable mention is to the community partners who work alongside The Salvation Army in Yellowknife with packing and distributing.
“I hope it makes those who receive a hamper feel less stress about providing a nice meal for their loved ones over the holidays, and maybe receive something that they may not ordinarily be able to purchase locally in their community,” Derek said.
The hard work and dedication through partnerships, donors, sponsors, volunteers, and employees allows for families to enjoy a Christmas meal this holiday season.
If you would like to donate to The Salvation Army in Yellowknife, please visit www.SalvationArmy.ca.
