The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) is getting a big donation to help clothe people in Prince Albert.
This week PAGC was presented with winter clothing which was collected as part of the annual Wrapped Up for the Holidays campaign. The winter clothing campaign involves a range of organizations including CTV Prince Albert, Anderson Chrysler and Parkland Ambulance.
Lyle Karasiuk, director of public of affairs for Parkland Ambulance said Wrapped Up for the Holidays has been working with PAGC for awhile. He added PAGC has the ability to make sure the donated clothing gets to people who need it.
“For a few years we’ve partnered with our good friends at Prince Albert Grand Council Moose Lodge, Natalie and her team are instrumental in either seeing people on a day to day basis or they’ve opened their ‘Moose Caboose’ as she calls it,” he said.
This year the Wrapped Up for the Holidays campaign was able to collect over 200 clothing items, including jackets, toques, boots and scarves. Karasiuk said heading in to this year’s drive organizers were prepared to see donations drop off in part due to recent inflation, that however was not the case. Karasiuk added many people as well contributed things they made themselves.
“This year we saw more hand made items, so groups of folks or maybe folks at home who love to knit, knitted us a dozen toques for example,” he said.
Karasiuk said Parkland Ambulance’s paramedics do sometimes come across people who do not have proper clothing. He added on the day they handed over the clothing donation to the PAGC one of their paramedics was shoveling snow in front of their building and started speaking to a woman who did not have gloves, because they still had the donated clothing on hand the medic was able to give the woman some donated gloves.
Overall, Karasiuk said the generosity of the community year after year is something that is good to see.
“The community continues to just amaze me, each and every year,” he said.
(All Photos submitted by Lyle Karasiuk)