A bunch of volunteer-happy residents of Amica at West Vancouver have been helping to support other seniors who might be facing a tough time this holiday season.
On Dec. 7 around 15 residents and some staff of the retirement community located on Clyde Avenue were hard at work assembling 80 gift baskets as part of the Amica Helping Hands Community Program.
“They always look forward to this time of year,” noted Amica general manager Michael Haugen in a press release. “They have a great feeling of being able to give back to the community
in need.”
The Helping Hands program is a registered charity associated with Amica. Every December, volunteer residents at Amica retirement communities throughout Canada work hard to prepare gift baskets to help low-income seniors.
There is also an Amica at Edgemont Village location that participated in this year’s gift basket-making session.
“A lot of them have done volunteer work their whole life, so it’s quite a nice experience for people to still be able to give back to the community in different ways,” said Krystine Schnell, community relations director at Amica at West Vancouver.
Each gift basket was valued at more than $100 and included items such as non-perishable food items, a warm blanket and gift cards for local grocery stores and pharmacies.
Fundraising events held throughout the year helped with purchasing the contents that made up the gift baskets.
This year, Amica at West Vancouver partnered with the Lions Gate Hospital Social Work Department, North Shore Neighbourhood House, and Harvest Project.
These organizations distributed the completed gift baskets to the seniors in need during the holiday season.
“We hope that this basket will bring joy to someone that needs it,” Haugen stated in a release. “The seniors who receive our Amica Helping Hands baskets will know someone cares.”
