Saskatoon Coop provides support for Aberdeen Christmas Miracles through volunteer incentive program. (Facebook/Aberdeen Christmas Miracles needs help)

By Angie Rolheiser

Christmas Miracles

Over 20 years of helping people in need in town of Aberdeen continues

Nov 25, 2019 | 11:38 AM

Aberdeen Christmas Miracles is once again providing hampers for seniors and those in need around the community.

The program has been happening for over 20 years according to number one elf, Marcea Malinowski.

She said they tend to go above what might be considered a normal Christmas hamper.

“We can feed families for up to a month. We have been known to deliver decorated trees along with all of the presents, we have also furnished houses,” Malinowski said.

The whole community comes together to make the hampers happen for Christmas as well as any items that might be needed in emergency situations throughout the year.

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The high school feeds seniors with care packages from their Christmas banquet.

“They repackage their leftovers and deliver them to the seniors housing,” Malinowski said. “We then also take them treat bags on our delivery night.”

The program was started by the suggestion of town council who knew of a family in need. Paulette Hudon, who is known as Mrs. Claus was on council at the time who took charge of getting a hamper together for that family.

“There was also gentleman who had cancer so we stepped in not only for financial needs but emotional,” Malinowski said.

She said since then he has passed away but they continue to help the wife, and two children with food through the year. They will also help with yard work when needed as well.

“If the fire department goes out to a house fire and they see a need they will phone us and let us know and we look after it,” Malinowski said. “We also take care of the firefighters if they are responding for a long time, we bring them food, we just take care of everyone.”

The focus for right now are the Christmas hampers.

A list of items needed ahead of Christmas can be found on the “Aberdeen Christmas Miracles Needs Help” Facebook page. There is a list of food and non-food items such as diapers, clothes, etc.

The group is also in charge of the Aberdeen Easter Miracle tree which is a fundraiser for Christmas Miracles. Easter eggs are sold for $1 to be hung on the tree.

This year, there were over 3,900 eggs on the tree.

Eggs hung on Aberdeen Easter Miracles tree. (Facebook/Aberdeen Easter Miracle Tree)

A new fundraiser this year was the haunted house that brought in $700 plus food donations, as well as toys and clothes.

There is also currently an online auction happening on miracles Facebook page as well to bring more funds during the busy season.

“There is a girl in town who has a new Frozen II costume so we ware going to have her at an event to take pictures with the kids for a donation to Christmas Miracles,” Malinowski said.

Malinowski works for Saskatoon Co-op who provides support through their volunteer incentive program. Cargill and SaskEnergy have also been big sponsors in the past.

“On delivery night we have different elves that come in and help us but it’s all very anonymous,” Malinowski said. “We’ll put stuff on a door step and walk away and no one knows the difference.”

The group has already been busy in November with helping a young woman and her baby.

“Someone tagged me in a Facebook post about a girl who was living in her car with her baby in Saskatoon,” Malinowski said.

After confirming some facts, Malinoski posted on the Aberdeen Christmas Miracles page for help. Within two hours of the original call for help, there were offers to pick up the girl and to house her. Within days there were diapers, clothes for the baby and the mom along with food. She is now at the YWCA in Saskatoon.

“It’s amazing what we can pull off when we work together,” Malinowski said. “We just do this, it’s just part of our Christmas here.”

She said there was another dad and son they helped out by doing random deliveries like a winter jacket for the boy. They also left diapers on the doorstep from time-to-time. One delivery night they brought a Christmas tree and gifts, a freezer filled with food, a crib for the baby, and clothes.

“He just stood there and bawled. He had no idea,” Malinowski said.

If a call comes in on Christmas eve which it did a couple years ago after a house fire, the elves get to work and make sure they get things done and delivered on Christmas day.

“People were delivering all night long and we sorted and cleaned up and got it done,” Malinowski said.

The school in Aberdeen also runs the We Scare Hunger campaign on Halloween night which this year brought in 800 pieces of food this year to be distributed in the Christmas hampers.

“We are very well known in the area and the rules are that they have to live in the R.M. of Aberdeen or the kids have to go to school in Aberdeen.” Malinowski said.

That stretches the coverage to Prudhomme, Vonda, and St. Denis.

The group has a suggestion box at the post office in town and that’s how they get most of the names for the hampers.

“The families don’t know we are coming. We try to keep it very quiet so they are shocked when we come through the door,” Malinowski said.

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser