Santa Bag event in Moncton collects items for kids in need

Hats, gloves, toiletries, sweets, free passes to an indoor skate park, even some Hot Wheels dinky cars were all lined up at a tire distribution warehouse in Moncton Friday morning.

The items have been donated to Youth Impact Jeunesse, a Moncton-based organization that operates in seven different communities and provides residential services for youth in the care of social development.

Gift bags will be given out during a Christmas party held by Youth Quest Central next week.

The outreach program is part of Youth Impact and is a multi-resource and drop-in centre for homeless and at-risk youth.

Youth Impact associate coordinator Tracy Cormier said every year they hold a festive get-together for the youth who access programs at Youth Quest Central in the downtown area and they try to bring a little holiday cheer and joy.

“The impact of the holiday celebration with the youth is so meaningful and inspiring to see. The evening is filled with warmth and laughter and celebration and just sheer gratitude,” said Cormier.

It all started four years ago when Groupe Touchette general manager Dave-Allan Gouthro was in the process of adopting his son, who was 12 at the time, and lived in a group home run by Youth Impact.

“It was hopefully the best day in his life and it was the best day in mine but I was a bit taken aback that his worldly possessions fit in a gym duffel bag and half of a garbage bag. That was the sum of his possessions,” said Gouthro.

That had a lingering impact, so Gouthro went to management and got the green light to start the Santa Bag event with his employees to get more for the kids.

The company got rid of their vending machines and started their own canteen with snacks for employees that generated $3,000 this year.

That’s a real sense of pride for canteen manager Darlene Clements who couldn’t help but get a little choked up when talking about the fundraising efforts.

“Helping kids, right? Kids that need it. So yeah, it makes you feel like a hundred bucks,” said Clements.

Other businesses that contributed to the campaign included Goodyear, Day and Ross, Netco, Integrated Staffing, ICS Logistics, the Lions Club of Salisbury, the Town of Salisbury and the City of Moncton.

The value of items topped over $10,000 in value this year, a high for the Santa Bag drive, and more than 7,500 items have been donated over the past four years.

As for adoption, Gouthro said that radically changed him.

“It was probably the single best thing that I’ve ever done in my life, both fostering and adopting. I would never, ever reconsider that and if anyone’s thinking about fostering and adopting there are a lot of children in our province in need and I would strongly encourage them to reach out to social development and get more information,” said Gouthro.

Gouthro said it’s undeniable the impact Youth Impact has had on his son.

“Inside the group home they got him back in school. They started improving his literacy. They got him accustomed to regimens, routines and rules. Really instilling a lot of things that children are learning from a much younger age but unfortunately we wasn’t given an opportunity to gain,”

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