(Facebook/ Buckland Fire and Rescue)

By Nigel Maxwell

Community support

Local fire departments receive cuddly donation

Jan 4, 2022 | 5:00 PM

Thanks to a special holiday drive by the Calendar Club of Canada, a number of children across the Prince Albert region will be provided with some extra comfort during their times of great need.

Every year the Calendar Club of Canada runs a program, whereas with the purchase $15 in store, someone can purchase a teddy bear for $5.99, which they can either take home or donate to charity. In total this year, 266 residents from Prince Albert and area donated bears. Wendy Klughart, manager of the Prince Albert store, told paNOW she was very grateful for the community’s support.

“It is our best year of donated bears in the seven years I’ve been doing this,” she said.

The previous record was 186, set back in 2018. Klughart also added how they always choose local causes, and are always looking for new kid oriented ideas.

Among the local agencies this year receiving bears to distribute was Buckland Fire and Rescue, which received 50 bears. Captain Lanette Ernst described the donation as fantastic.

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“Often we come up accidents or fires where there are children involved and it can be a very traumatic experience for them. So this is something kind of nice we hand out to the kids to give some comfort to them,” she said.

And the recent donation was well timed. Ernst explained the limited bears they had on hand were donated by a family whose kids were involved in an accident the department had given its last bears to.

“That family went out and got a box of teddy bears to hand out to other kids,” she said.

The Shellbrook Fire Department also received a couple boxes of teddy bears. Deputy Fire Chief Kerry Wendal said they will turn the bears over to the first responders, who would deal more personally with the children.

“We are very happy and fortunate that we have received them, and we look forward to giving them out to innocent people that have been affected by some source or another,” he said.

(Facebook/ Buckland Fire and Rescue)

Also receiving bears were Mobile Crisis, Wakaw Fire Department, Garden River Fire Department, Birch Hills Fire Department, Smeaton Fire Department, and Candle Lake Fire Department.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell