Inmates adopt a needy family this Christmas
Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Dec 15/00) - It may seem an odd contrast but Yellowknife inmates will be responsible for at least one family having a merrier-than-usual Christmas this year.
Earlier this week boxes were filled with food and gifts for a needy family, paid for by inmates at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre.
Staff at the jail suggested the idea of adopting a family through the Salvation Army this season to the inmates committee.
Its president, Kurt Wainman, said it was not hard to make that idea fly among the jail's inmate population.
"I threw it around last week and all the inmates thought it was a great idea," Wainman, who is serving a 15-month sentence, explained.
"It's Christmas and we wanted to do something for Yellowknife for the holiday season. It shows we are normal, we care and we are not all vicious people like some people sum it up to be."
The inmates pooled together $250 to spend on a single mother and her child from their joint welfare fund.
The money is collected from selling crafts, such as carvings, donations from volunteer work in the community and from their canteen.
"There are different little ways of making revenue and it is used for items the facility does not provide and has no obligation to provide," said YCC's facility finance and administration officer Renuka Verma. She also sits in on inmate committee meetings.
Verma said YCC staff were adopting a different family and so she suggested the idea at an inmates committee meeting. The committee consists of four prisoners to act on behalf of the near 200 person population at YCC.
"In a day or two I got a memo from (Wainman) saying the inmates wanted to go ahead and adopt a family and spend up to $250," Verma said.
On Tuesday Verma informed Wainman suddenly that it was time to go shopping. He could not be told in advance for security reasons. They went to Co-op and filled a shopping cart to its brim with food. They then went to Wal-mart where Wainman purchased clothes and other small gifts.
"We'll put it all in a box, wrap it up and take it to the Salvation Army," Verma said.
The inmates will be served a turkey dinner in the dining room of the jail on Christmas Day. If approved, they are also able to have family come and visit.
"Everybody is not all bad and they do want to help out," Verma said. "Not all of them are bad at heart."
