As a school / Luke 4:18 team, we have committed to sending Christmas envelopes to 55 elementary students in Northwest Territories, and 10 intermediate students in Nunavut this year. If there is sufficient interest, we can commit to more children at another Northern school. Each envelope is standardized to some extent with the opportunity for each sponsor to individualize their package. So each package is the same…yet different.
People may question why are we doing this? Why not help people in developing countries who are really in need due to poverty, war, displacement? As important as this is, we as Canadians need to realize that our own country has Indigenous communities in desperate need of help. They live in remote, fly-in only communities that makes travel, goods and food extremely expensive…ex: sugar that costs 1.99 here costs $30 up north. Our board and St. Joseph in particular, has been living out our Gospel values by creating a positive, inclusive, socially responsible, and forgiving learning environment. These are real steps towards Reconciliation.
The shipping costs to deliver these Christmas packages are very high, as these are fly-in only communities. Also, due to the unpredictability of the weather, plane cancellations, and the far distance, we need to ship our packages out early in order for the students to receive them before their last day of school. Transit time is not something we can control or estimate. November 12 is the deadline….
This year the money raised from the Luke 4:18 frozen yogurt sales in September will cover the cost for shipping the packages! (In past years, we have asked for $5 to help with the shipping costs. MERCI!)