The Yellowknife Salvation Army traded in a sleigh for a plane when the non-profit played Santa Claus over the holidays, handing out food and gifts to remote communities in need.
Sally Ann's long-running Christmas Fly Out Hampers initiative – operating under the Salvation Army's Alberta and Northern Territories Division – sees donation-stuffed hampers delivered throughout the territory, within a 500-kilometre radius of Yellowknife.
This year, the annual fly-out saw 250 hampers filled with Christmas dinner ingredients, recipes, magazines and calenders given to deserving families, stated a media release from the Yellowknife Salvation Army.
No reindeer? No Sleigh? No problem. An Air Tindi plane, pictured here, readies for takeoff in late December, en route to remote NWT communities with 250 donated food hampers on board.
Annual hamper handouts focus on small, often isolated communities and villages – with populations ranging from 250 and 1,900 – where residents might face challenges accessing certain goods – a challenge that's heightened during the holiday season.
Yellowknife Salvation Army co-director Darlene Hardy stated the initiative has many sponsors, including a local food supplier, Air Tindi and NWT Power Corporation.
"This could not happen without the support of the community," stated Hardy in a news release. "The people in these remote communities really look forward to receiving these hampers."
Hardy said kids toys could make an appearance in next year's fly-out food hampers.