SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Lisa Corbett and Sue Gallant volunteer a lot of their time in Summerside during the holiday season.
Both women work at Sun and Suds, a laundromat in the city, and decided back in 2017 to start a Christmas passion project, Senior’s Angel Tree.
“It was all Lisa’s idea,” said Gallant. “We were just talking one day, and she said we should do something for seniors.”
Gallant is no stranger to the idea of volunteering. She spends her time helping a branch of KIN Canada, the nationwide volunteering organization, which also helps with the project.
“I’m very involved with KIN, and we do things like hampers (a box containing food, distributed to those in need) and we really focus on helping kids. So it was Lisa’s idea to come up with this whole thing. We love doing stuff for the community.”
Senior’s Angel Tree is a non-profit project, collecting and fulfilling senior citizens’ Christmas wishes.
“It’s the most basic stuff. A new nightgown, slippers, a box of chocolates. They never ask for much, it’s incredible. They just want the smallest things.”
People are able to stop by and pick up a tag from the laundromat, which will list of a few items for a senior’s Christmas wish.
“Everything is confidential. We only say it’s a male or a female, and we number the tags. We have the major list, and we deliver the gifts ourselves. It’s mostly Summerside seniors, but if someone brings us a name and their lists, we’ll help. We never turn anyone away,” said Gallant.
The pair has received lots of help from Summerside residents and even a few people "from away", said Corbett.
“I remember a lady from last year, she’s from Ontario. She called us, and gave me her credit card information. Said she’s wanted to help us and told me to buy things for 10 seniors. It was remarkable. I guess she had seen what we were doing advertised. It blew us away.”
- Senior Angels has helped grant 300 wishes since it started in 2017
- The most popular requests are Red Island magazines, Tim Horton gift cards and chocolate boxes
- Sue Gallant and Lisa Corbett have already collected 100 tags for this year’s tree
- Members of the public are able to pick up a tag the day after Remembrance Day, Nov. 12
- The deadline for dropping off the gifts is Dec. 19
Corbett remembers one wish list that melted her heart.
“There was someone last year who just asked for a case of Pepsi and a bag of Cheesies. That’s all they wanted. Most people just want the minimum of things.”
The idea behind Senior Angels was to spread a little Christmas cheer for the elderly in Prince County, said Corbett.
“When we first started, I noticed there wasn’t many organizations helping out seniors. Some of these people, this is the only gifts they’ll be getting. They don’t have families or children.
Christmas is supposed to be a happy time of the year, but for some people, it’s not. So, we just wanted to make people’s time a little easier and a little happier.”
The Senior’s Angel Tree and her other volunteer work is what makes Christmas special, said Gallant.
“I’ve never been a big Christmas person, I just never really got into it. But helping my community and making people feel happier, that’s what Christmas is to me.”
For those interested in donating to Senior’s Angel Tree, visit the Sun and Suds Facebook page.
