Sundre residents again demonstrated the spirit of giving at Christmastime.
The annual Sundre Santa's Anonymous program was very successful this year, with way more gifts donated than last year, said Sarah Kennedy, coordinator.
"There was a lot of heartwarming situations," she said.
A number of potential recipients even said that although they were going through tough times, they knew others experiencing even more challenging situations and so declined the help and instead asked for those more in need to receive it, she said.
"We had a lot of gracious decisions."
Not only were more gifts donated this year, but there was also an increase in food and monetary donations, she said, adding residents really showed what Sundre is about.
"It's an incredibly caring and giving community."
In 2014, a total of 161 hampers were distributed compared to 174 hampers in 2015, she said.
Although monetary donations were up, the cost of food was higher as well, so some cutbacks had to be made. Certain items like coffee, which doesn't help satiate a person's hunger, were too expensive to justify buying, she said, adding the food and grocery bill was about 15 per cent more than last year.
Volunteers, without whom Santa's Anonymous wouldn't be possible, also provided a backbone of support to make it all possible. A group of about dozen youths involved in an access to workplace program "came religiously to help," she said.
"They came in pretty well every day ó they were just a huge help. It was heartwarming."
Several members of the midget Huskies hockey team also helped out by moving tables to the Santa's Anonymous office next to the Sundre Fire Hall from the curling rink. That job would normally take several hours, but the boys get it done in about an hour, she said.
"They've done that a couple of years. They've got the trailer and the manpower," she said, adding they're "a really nice group of kids doing a fantastic job."
The community deserves a big shout out "because there was a lot of people who really did step up this year."
That includes people who volunteered their time as well as others who offered donations, but especially donations, she said.
"We had a ton more food than previous years."
The food drives from the local 4-H clubs and the Me to We Club at River Valley School were really well supported. And in the days before Christmas, one resident put on the Sundre Santa's Anonymous Facebook page a call for all the fixings needed for a turkey supper, she said.
"People went out and got stuffing and whatnot, which was added to the hampers. That was a lovely gesture. We know that people were having a proper Christmas dinner this year."
While Kennedy's open to coordinating Sundre Santa's Anonymous again next Christmas, she wants to see whether anyone else might be interested in giving it a shot.
"If somebody else comes along and thinks they're able to do a really good job of it, it's time for me to hand over the reins, otherwise I'll do it again."
