Youth committee Christmas drive reignites holiday spirit. (submitted photo/ Maryah Walker)

By Elliott Knopp

Christmas Charity

Youth committee Christmas drive reignites holiday spirit

Dec 23, 2020 | 10:44 AM

A group of young women is keeping the holiday spirit bright with a community support initiative.

The Meadow Lake RCMP’s Youth Advisory Committee organized a food drive on behalf of the Door of Hope to raise awareness and support those in need during the holiday season. The event started at Carpenter High School when students Piper, Niah, Romy and McKenna challenged other classes to see who could bring in the most food donations.

From that point on, the event snowballed and became a community-wide effort. The committee members reached out to local businesses, asking them if they would like to become a donation drop-off spot and spread the word about their campaign. As the drive gained notoriety, business owners and other schools began to contribute by pitching in toy drives and donation incentives.

Maryah Walker said while the RCMP oversees the committee, all credit for the drive belongs to the youth.

“The RCMP is a support for these kids, but ultimately, it was their hard work, their ideas and dedication to this that has led this into being something that has really brought the community together during COVID,” Walker said. “It was pretty remarkable to see how much people were willing to get on board despite these turbulent and trying times COVID has brought upon us.”

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On Tuesday, the RCMP and the committee delivered the goods to people nominated to be recipients. These holiday care packages included food, toys, Christmas family activities and ingredients to build a classic Christmas dinner.

After seeing the community rally behind the cause, Walker recalled a moment from the night that resonated with her.

“It was awesome to see the youth see all of their hard work coming together and doing those deliveries. It was great to see the look on people’s faces. I don’t think any of the families were necessarily expecting us as they were anonymously nominated,” she said.

Walker believes events like this are important as they promote engagement with youth and the community.

“Involving the youth is so important. We can be a little out of touch with what’s affecting youth, what’s challenging youth, what their passions are and how we can support them,” Walker said. “It’s really important for the community to see the RCMP in a different capacity other than enforcement so they can build those relationships.”

Any youth who would like to be a part of the Youth Advisory Committee can contact the RCMP for more details.

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Elliott.Knopp@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp