SaskEnergy Staff in Regina Caring for Community Over the Holidays
Many people in Regina were a little warmer, happier and healthier this holiday season thanks to the generous support of SaskEnergy staff.
“This is the time of year to reflect on what is really important in life and to highlight the importance of giving, especially to those who need it most,” says SaskEnergy employee Wendi Frederick.
In early December, Wendi led a campaign to build feminine hygiene kits to donate to various organizations in Regina and quickly found support from her coworkers.
In total, $1,779 was raised through the campaign. This was enough to create 27 kits, which were donated to the Rainbow Youth Centre and the North Central Community Association. Each kit included a handmade Christmas card made by Wendi’s son and his classmates.
“Women have unique needs and personal care is expensive,” says Wendi. “We wanted to do something for the young women and mothers in our community, providing them with some essential basics so there was one less thing they had to worry about this month.”
SaskEnergy’s Legal and Land teams’ Community Support REACHes 18 years
The holiday season started early for SaskEnergy’s Legal and Land teams. In the second week of December, about 20 employees donated their time to Regina Education and Action on Community Hunger (REACH), helping to organize Christmas hampers for REACH’s clients.
REACH provides a variety of services, including frozen meals for pickup or delivery, Christmas hampers, and Good Food Boxes, which offer a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables at a discounted rate.
Caring for Carmichael Outreach
Two different employee-led fundraisers benefited Carmichael Outreach, a charity that serves people experiencing poverty and homelessness.
Looking to create a feel-good experience and keep feet warm this winter, employees Kendra Lovas and Joseph Daniels launched the Toasty Toes Sock Challenge at our head office.
“We sent out a challenge for everyone in the building to donate one pair of socks to help those in need keep their toes toasty this winter,” says Kendra. “Our goal was 250 pairs of socks.”
In total, 425 pairs of socks were collected and donated to Carmichael Outreach. A $250 grant from SaskEnergy helped purchase additional non-perishable items for the charity organization.
Through a cinnamon bun fundraiser, SaskEnergy’s SAGE committee — an Indigenous employee-led network — raised $628 to support Carmichael Outreach’s annual children’s Christmas party. Every year, the organization invites children from the community to the party where they can meet Santa Claus and receive a gift.
“It’s easy to forget that there are children in our community who celebrate Christmas without a gift under the tree,” says SAGE committee employee Sharla Sparvier. “It warms our hearts to imagine the joy on children’s faces when they received these toys.”
SaskEnergy’s Regina Service Centre Staff Share the Warmth
For the fourth straight year, employees at our Regina Service Centre (RSC) set up their annual Share the Warmth Christmas tree in support of The Kiwanis Club of the Queen City.
RSC employees fundraised and collected winter warmth items like mitts, toques and socks, as well as everyday essentials such as toiletries and baby items. Each item was pinned to the Christmas tree. All items and cash donations were given to The Kiwanis Club.
The Kiwanis Club used the donations to create hampers for children. Each year, The Kiwanis Club works with inner-city schools and community organizations to distribute the hampers.
“It means a great deal to us to spread warmth and joy to families in need. We often take for granted how fortunate we are,” says Sandee Jordon, an employee at RSC.
The Christmas tree initiative is tied to SaskEnergy’s Share the Warmth program, where grants are provided to charitable organizations to help them deliver warm clothing, shelter, food services or mental health support to those in the community who need it most.
