Saint John police celebrate successful Holiday in a Box campaign

The Saint John Police Force’s fourth annual Holiday in a Box campaign collected more than 600 boxes and 225 additional gift cards for residents in five priority neighbourhoods.

Saint John Police Chief Robert Bruce announced the campaign results with representatives from each of the five neighbourhoods Friday morning.

Inside each wrapped box is a number of essential everyday items for the city’s vulnerable adults, including toiletries, socks, mitts, and a gift card for a place like Dollarama or Tim Hortons.

“I think you couldn't be prouder of the people,” Bruce says of residents helping with the cause. “Some of the sports teams, the schools, families that get together, we have a lot of seniors that put boxes together, and other groups of people that do it. I think it speaks volumes of the type of city we live in, we're saying, ‘Hey, we won't forget (about the vulnerable population).’ It’s a small piece, but it's a lot.”

Bruce says this year’s results are close to outcomes seen in previous years since the first campaign was held in 2021.

One of the priority neighbourhoods taking more than 100 boxes back to their community is One Change in the city’s north end. The grassroots organization and service provider address issues such as crime, poverty, unemployment, poor health and lack of education.

The 2924 Holiday in a Box campaign collected hundreds of gifts. (Source: Avery MacRae/CTV News Atlantic)

Executive director Tamara Kelly says this donation means a lot to the people in her community.

“This may be the only gift that they get this year,” says Kelly. “And it has all the essentials that you need that we just take for granted.”

Kelly says the boxes also includes gloves and hats to help keep people warm during the winter.

“Those are the things that you kind of put aside when you need to go buy milk, if you need to get eggs, if you need to pay your rent, any of those things,” she says. “So it's a good help.”

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