Gifts and a traditional orange for the residents at Acropolis

Residents at Acropolis Manor will feel the spirit and joy of Christmas after the efforts of 15 members and volunteers of the Prince Rupert Hospital Auxiliary came to fruition this week with the completion of gifts and goodies packages to be distributed by Santa in the home on Christmas Eve.

More than $1,000 in cash and gifts were collected to make Christmas parcels for the seniors home residents who have no family or friends in town for the holiday season Heather Bishop, president of the Prince Rupert Hospital Auxiliary said,

Each year the Hospital Auxiliary buys a special gift for the seniors who don’t have supports or visitors, as well volunteers stuff small stockings with candy and an orange for all of the residents in the facility.

“The auxiliary usually fundraises all year by running the popular gift shop at the hospital and hosting a very successful bake sale in December,” Bishop said. “All of these efforts have been put on hold by the Covid-19 pandemic this year.”

Bishop said the efforts snowballed this year after a conversation on social media, where Auxiliary members took the names of a resident to give gifts to.

“It just kept getting better and it snowballed from there,” Bishop said with donations from volunteers and then local businesses joining in.

“We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of this small group of people. We were able to put an assortment of goodies into each stocking including socks, toiletries, fleecy blankets for the bedridden residents, picture frames, and tons of candy, plus they will still get the traditional orange,” Bishop said.