'Tis the season to give
Junior 'C' team steps up for Community Christmas Hamper
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
RANKIN INLET
The RCMP's annual Community Christmas Hamper received a big boost when the Kivalliq Canucks junior 'C' hockey team donated $2,500 to the cause this past week in Rankin Inlet.
Const. Allan Erickson proudly displays the $2,500 donation to the RCMP's Community Christmas Hamper raised by head coach Donald Clark's, right, Kivalliq Canucks junior 'C' team at Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik in Rankin Inlet on Dec. 17, 2015. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
RCMP Const. Allan Erickson said the Christmas hamper did very well this year, with almost $40,000 being raised for the fund.
He said the money will help support dozens of Rankin families needing a little extra help during the holidays.
"My understanding is the families will receive vouchers for our Co-op and Northern store that they can use to get food and whatever supplies they need for the holiday season," said Erickson.
"It's incredible when someone like the junior 'C' team makes a donation of this amount.
"But every little bit adds together, no matter how big or small the donation.
"At the end of the day, when you start stacking all the pieces from the different organizations that contribute money, it ends up being a large amount that helps that many more families in need."
Erickson said the Community Christmas Hamper also lets the community see another side of its RCMP officers.
He said it can often be a time when people interact more on a personal level.
"In Nunavut people are perhaps generally used to seeing me or other officers around town at a check stop or at calls for service on their street or somewhere else.
"This is a time when people get to speak to us on a personal level, and we can just be part of the community.
"Generally, most of us aren't from the community we're working in, so people get to hear about where we're from and our experiences.
"And, as well, we get to know better the community we're working in."
Canucks head coach Donald Clark said this was the first year the team contributed to the Community Christmas Hamper.
He said the junior 'C' program has benefitted quite a bit from the residents of Rankin Inlet, so it was time to give back a bit more to the community.
"The coaches and players thought the Christmas hamper would be the best thing to donate to at this time.
"We've been raising money during the past couple of years, mostly through bingos, and, right now, we have a healthy bank account.
"The money is used for our travel and stuff like that, but it was time to give some money back to the community.
"We've done it on other occasions and kept it kind of quiet, but we decided to promote it a bit more this time and have our boys understand that yes, you get, but you also have to give back."
