Hundreds of freshly baked cookies and personalized Christmas cards went to seniors in need this holiday season courtesy of local Rotarians.
The Rotary Club of Haney baked hundreds of cookies on Dec. 15 at the Scouts Lodge commercial kitchen in Whonnock, and then delivered them to the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society at the Maple Ridge Seniors Activity Centre the following day.
There were 11 Rotary members who took part, in addition to friends and spouses, and they managed to bake 500 cookies, two for each hamper.
"The cookies were shortbread using only three ingredients: flour, white cake mix and butter. Simple but delicious," said club president Lurinda Rinehart.
All the hampers were put together by the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society, in conjunction with the London Drugs Stocking Stuffers for Seniors program, a chain-wide program that takes place in 35 cities across Britsh Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. This year London Drugs marked their ninth annual event
Locally a tree went up outside the store before Christmas with paper ornaments containing a list of gift ideas for a senior in need. Shoppers were encouraged to pick an ornament, purchase the items on the wish list, and then leave them at the customer service counter to donate to the hampers.
The Rotarians also made 250 personally designed Christmas cards to go into the hampers as well.
"We do it because we have a shared commitment to making a positive impact in our community and beyond. No good deed is too small or too large to make a difference. It’s a great time to come together and do something special for someone else," noted Rinehart.
This was the Rotary Club of Haney's second year contributing to the Christmas hampers.
About 250 of these hampers are handed out every year.
