DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
When Paschalina Nadli is asked why she spent the past few months gathering Christmas gifts to send to Sachs Harbour, her response is an easy one: "Why not?"

Over the past few months, Paschalina Nadli of Fort Providence gathered 85 gifts from donors to send to families in Sachs Harbour. - photo courtesy of Paschalina Nadli

Early this month, Nadli sent 85 presents to the community of 112 people. The presents are for babies, children and boys and girls and young people aged one to 18.

She chose Sachs Harbour because of its remote nature.

"The kids way up North, where the cost of living is high, I can't imagine how hard a time families have getting presents, and how much it costs to get them to places like Sachs Harbour," Nadli said. "Every year when we fill a shoebox (to send overseas), I always wonder with my family, why aren't these going the other way?"

Nadli has been collecting items to send since September.

Some were gathered during trips away for Fort Providence when she was travelling for medical reasons. Some were gathered at sales and some came from generous community members who wanted to help out.

In total, Nadli had seven people from Fort Providence and Hay River donate items.

"I'm really happy with the people who came out and donated. They donated as much as they could and I'm really thankful for that," she said. "Saturday night I attempted to wrap them and I thought, 'OK, I can't do this by myself.' "

That led to a wrapping party with friends and family members, and the items were shipped soon after.

"Putting a smile on a kid's face is all that matters to me," she said. "I can't wait to see the smiles."

Nadli has been promised photos once the presents reach their intended destination. She said she hopes to see a video of reactions as well.

"I'm happy. I've done my good deed for the year. It was worth it," she said.

Nadli said she hopes to continue what she started next year and laid out ambitious plans for how the gift of giving could grow.

"I'm thinking I'll find the next smallest place (next year). I haven't figured out which one that is yet," she said. "Me being me, I'll keep it going. I've started something and I have to finish it. If I can get to every place once per year, I'd be happy."

Aside from community members donating items, the local Northern store also chipped in, covering the cost of sending the items.

Store manager Tim Cragg said even if the store hadn't covered the cost, he himself would have stepped in to do so.

"It's a really good cause. We decided there wasn't that much stuff and ... I just figured it wasn't that much money, so we covered it," he said. "Hopefully she does this every year - I'd like to see it grow."

Cragg was raised in Ontario, where he said he experienced Christmas to its fullest every year. However, during time spent working in the Arctic, he saw first-hand how difficult it can be for families to provide gifts and feasts for their children.

"Sometimes you see these poor kids running around at Christmas time and some of them don't even have trees in the house," he said.

He added the items should have reached Sachs Harbour already. No one from the hamlet office was available for an interview.

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