Island charity hopes to fulfill Christmas wishes for families in need
'There are so many homes and so many families that struggle even with the basic necessities,' says organizer
A volunteer organization is hoping to make Christmas a little merrier for hundreds of Charlottetown families in need by providing them with gifts, food and basic necessities.
Natalie Latouf organizes the volunteer teams for Santa's Angels.
"The holidays, especially Christmas tends to be stressful for a lot of parents especially," she said.
"There are so many homes and so many families that struggle even with the basic necessities, like food and keeping up with their heating bill."
Anyone in need can write to Santa's Angel's on its website, said Latouf. She said when volunteers read the letters, they feel like they're getting to know the family a little bit and they're able to customize what they bring to the family.
Latouf called the visits a "magical experience."
"They welcome us in and they want pictures with Santa, but you can also kind of feel this burden almost lifted," she said.
Santa's Angels has over 100 volunteers and will be going door-to-door in communities in the Charlottetown area, including Stratford, West Royalty, Cornwall, Winslow and others, said Kenny Zakem, the president of Santa's Angels.
Besides presents and food, Zakem said Santa's Angels provides care packages containing items like blankets, hats, mitts and toiletries for each family.
The organization will also be handing out 600 sleeping bags to children in need this year as a part of the Sleeping Bag Project, an initiative to bring warmth and coziness to the many children on P.E.I. who are living in poverty.
"It'll be a busy day, but a lot of people make light hands," said Zakem.
Care packages will also be handed out at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, addictions centres and four seniors' homes.
"At some point, we'd love to get the whole Island one day if we get more communities involved," said Zakem.
Latouf said one of the most rewarding parts of the experience of going door-to-door on Christmas morning is being able to help a family fulfill their Christmas wishes.
"It's amazing how many people we have who want to spend their Christmas doing this," said Latouf. "I honestly can't think of spending Christmas any other way."