Const. Mark Macaulay , City of Vernon employee Laurie Carpenter, Abby McNeish, Nexus B.C. Senior Services Coordinator, Jennifer Stephenson, City of Vernon Municipal employee, Cpl. Darcy Reeves and Const. Matthew Taylor.

Image Credit: RCMP

VERNON - The Vernon RCMP detachment is helping local seniors feel less alone this Christmas.

Mounties and municipal staff donated to the Making Spirits Bright campaign, in which local seniors who are in need or feeling lonely around the holidays receive a gift from a sponsor. The program is run by Nexus B.C., which posts personal stories and wish lists for the seniors online. Community members can then read the stories and chose a senior who they wish to pledge. 

Five seniors were sponsored by the Vernon detachment, Const. Kelly Brett says in a media release.

“The majority of what seniors have been wishing for are basic things such as gift cards for groceries, winter jackets and warm articles of clothing, including shoes,” Alison Campeau of the Nexus B.C. says in the release. “We have started to give the seniors their gifts this week and it has been so heart-warming to see their reactions.”

Jennifer Stephenson, a City of Vernon employee, coordinated the donations made on behalf of the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP. Each senior will receive two large gift bags that include wish list items as well as basic food and necessities.

“Each year the Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP give generously to charity over the holiday season and this year we wanted to re-direct our focus to the senior citizen community, as in past years donations have been made to younger families,” Stephenson says.

The Nexus B.C. Community Resource Centre sees more than 20 different seniors through their doors each day during the holiday and non-holiday season. There are many other campaigns run by Nexus B.C. that residents can become involved in. For more information on these campaigns click here or call 250-545-0585.

“The Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP and all its employees want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season,” Brett says.

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