COLD LAKE - The Stockings 4 Seniors elves were hard at work preparing gifts for local seniors.
This year, volunteers distributed 246 stockings, a slight increase from last year’s 244. Stockings 4 Seniors founder Sandra Evans, also known as Sandy Claus, noted there was an intimate aspect to this year’s initiative.
“The tags were personalized so the gifts were personalized,” expressed the Ardmore resident, using clothing sizes as an example of how the gifts were made with each individual senior in-mind.
This was the second year Stockings 4 Seniors aimed to put smiles on the faces of those living at the Bonnylodge, Bonnyville Extendicare, and Cold Lake long-term care, among others.
After setting up drop-off locations in Bonnyville and Cold Lake, including at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre and Cold Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, Evans was kept busy rounding up all the gifts donated.
“I was getting phone calls saying, ‘we’re full, come and empty us,’” she recalled.
All of the gifts were sorted at the Stockings 4 Seniors headquarters, and volunteer elves joined Evans in sorting and wrapping all of the gifts.
Among those donating their time was Paulette Guard.
She said, “The (wrapping parties) were really fun and great. It really warmed the soul.”
After hearing about Stockings 4 Seniors when it launched in 2018, Guard jumped at the chance to help spread some holiday cheer.
“I think it’s so important to have something like this in our community. They’re the pillars of our community, and I’m all about spreading joy, kindness, and teaching our kids that this is an incredible opportunity to teach them about kindness and giving back,” she said.
Offering appreciation to those who helped make the area what it is today was among the reasons Evans started Stockings 4 Seniors.
“It’s to give thanks to the cornerstones of our community,” she stated. “Without them, we wouldn’t have the communities that we live in… It’s to give back and offer thanks, it’s not about charity at all. It’s about saying thank you for doing all that you do and what you continue to do because you’re valued.”
After losing three of her parents within three years of each other, Evans looked for a program that would allow her to bring Christmas cheer to local seniors. When she found out there wasn’t one, Stockings 4 Seniors was born and has been going strong ever since.
Although this giving season just wrapped up with the final deliveries made on Christmas Eve, Evans is already thinking about next year.
“I’d like to reach out to the Ardmore and Fort Kent areas, into the rural areas more, and if I break 250 (stockings), that will be great. I’ve already designed the tags for next year, and I’m constantly tweaking things,” she noted. “By going through this process, I know what I’m doing going forward and tweaking it a little bit to make it better.”
Evans expressed gratitude to everyone who donated their time and gave back in any way that they could.
“It’s not the grand gesture of it all, it’s the thought, because all of the gifts, someone had to take the time and think about that person that they were shopping for. What was their life like? What would they like now? It was like shopping for your grandma or grandpa. I want to thank both communities because without them this wouldn’t have been possible.”
