Elk Point – Home for Santa and the Elves

Need and giving – Elk Point understands both. In this year’s Santas Anonymous (SA) campaign, nearly 50 food and gift hampers were needed, and the giving was generous. Students from Elk Point Elementary School gathered boxes, bags, and armloads of food – enough to fill a car and a van. Said Diane Peifer, president of the Community Lions of Elk Point, the organization that runs SA, “The elementary kids should feel very proud of their generous contributions.” Added to what the students brought in were over 400 bags of groceries purchased by members of the Elk Point CoOp through the Good Buy to Hunger campaign, as well as bags of food donated in boxes around the community and at concerts and other special events.  Cash provided by businesses and individuals went towards fixings for each family’s Christmas supper – turkey, potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, and dessert.

Food from the Elk Point Elementary food BINGO weighed down the tables

Food from the Elk Point Elementary food BINGO weighed down the tables

The community was also generous with toys. Every effort was made to ensure that each child from 0-11 received toys and stuffed animals, with added presents such as games, craft kits, puzzles, or dress-up items.  Family board games or treats were included in the packages to provide something for the family members to do together.

Susan Frisby, who has been coordinating SA for over 25 years, insisted that “every child needs a toque and mitts, and those items frequently get lost. But we’ll make sure they all have a warm head and warm hands.” Frisby was thrilled to find a terrific sale on cozy winter jackets for the teens.  Generous discounts from local merchants and some “really good deals” meant the teens, usually the hardest age group to buy for, also received small personal gifts.

Some of the 4H members with the food hampers.

Preparing the gift and food boxes took hours of organization, but SA received help from elves. After the Lions picked up donations and purchases then organized the gifts, a crew of volunteers spent a day wrapping.  One elf explained, “To me, this is the most important part of Christmas. One year my husband was out of work and Santas Anonymous helped us. Now I want to help them.” Once the wrappers left, the Elk Point 4H Beef Club and the Elk Point 4H Multi Club arrived to sort and box the food, living up to their pledge to use their “hands to larger service.”

Other donations included about 350 pounds of potatoes, a number of blankets, rolls of wrapping paper, hand knit mittens and hats, baby clothes, batteries, and for each hamper: a mug filled with candies. The Lions are thrilled with this year’s response to their campaign, and know that Elk Point will be a place of joy this Christmas.