Louise Sisson is always a welcome guest at the Youth Wellness Hub in Haliburton at this time of the year.
The St. George’s Anglican Church parishioner stopped by the Dysart Avenue facility Dec. 9 to deliver 50 handmade satchels, filled with gift cards and other goodies, to be given out to youth over the holidays.
It’s the eighth year for the effort, which Sisson said is all about giving back to the community.
“It started when Rev. Anne Moore was here, she brought it to our attention, but we didn’t start until Rev. Ken McClure was here. His wife, Becca, worked at the youth hub and so she would tell Ken about the need. And Ken loved a good story – he took this story of the ‘St. Nick’s Satchel’ and ran with it. Here we are years later still making it happen.”
Sisson said there’re about 14 women from the church who work on the satchels from the end of October to early December. They always use bright, festive colours and jam the bags full of fruit, chocolate and small keepsakes, as well as three $25 gift cards to businesses in the County.
All costs are covered by the church congregation, Sisson said, with collections running through November.
New this year, the Haliburton Highlands Quilt Guild contributed small gifts to each satchel pack – Sisson said she wanted to see other organizations and businesses get involved too.
“A lot of people are struggling now. There’s lots of troubled families in our community – there’s a real need and we try to be there when we can. We don’t do a whole lot anymore, like the pancake supper we had to stop, but this is one way we’re able to give back,” Sisson said.
She noted churchgoers also assist the hub in providing transportation for youth to and from the centre, while contributing financially to other initiatives throughout the year.
“We all have grandchildren, so we don’t want to see anyone go without,” she said.
Mary Sisson, manager at the youth hub, said the satchels are a welcome donation at this time of the year as older kids are often overlooked.
“We usually see a lot of toy donations over the holidays, but it’s harder with teenagers because they don’t necessarily want toys… it’s harder making sure they get something they like,” Mary said.
The satchels tend to fly out the door like hotcakes, Mary said, with all 50 usually accounted for. Sometimes, if there are spares, Mary will set gift cards aside for those in need in the new year. She’s also given to students at the adult and alternate education centre.
“We love the look of pleasant surprise and gratitude that spreads across young people’s faces when they receive these satchels… they’re always really thankful that people would think of them and go out of their way to do something nice for them. Especially so for youth that may not have close family,” Mary said.
