Five co-op students from Huntsville High School are helping to make Christmas brighter for local families in need this year. Savannah Dawe, Tabitha Doskas, Dakota Freeman, Dylan Taylor and Jazmyne Vermeulen are responsible for coordinating Huntsville Place Mall’s annual toy and food drive. They’re welcoming your donations of new, unwrapped toys and non-perishable food items in bins in three locations in the mall: beside Santa’s cottage (near Winners), in Maurice’s and beside Coles.
The donations will be divided amongst three charities – The Salvation Army, The Table and Christine’s Place – on December 19, but the bins will remain in place until Christmas for any last minute donations. If you’re considering a donation for the toy drive, don’t forget about teens – they’re often missed so Bentley’s is kicking off the drive with three teen-appropriate gifts. Bluenotes, Ardenes, Winners, and Coles are good sources for others.
The mall’s marketing and promotions manager, Lindsay Edwards, says the students have been working hard since September to get the mall ready for Christmas.
“They decorated the windows, created Santa’s Cottage, and hung decorations,” says Edwards. “They take a lot of pride in the mall now.”
Santa will be visiting the mall throughout December (see the schedule below), including the fourth annual Sensitive Santa event on December 4. Sensitive Santa is for anyone for whom a regular visit to Santa would be difficult. Held in an empty storefront decorated for the occasion, the lights are dimmed, music is off, and the elves are the gentle, quite sort.
“It’s a sensory-sensitive, therapeutic visit with Santa. Community Living Huntsville will have four sensory therapy tables there and Becker Shoes is sponsoring one 5×7 complimentary photo per family,” says Edwards. Other children in the family are welcome to visit Santa at the same time. Pre-registration is required to [email protected] or 705-788-3889 extension 1.
To help with your Christmas shopping, Huntsville Place Mall will also have charity gift wrapping stations in place from December 12-24, and on December 16 a men’s shopping experience, Deck the Mall, runs from 6-9pm complete with prize draws, discounts and samples.
For more happenings at Huntsville Place Mall, visit huntsvilleplacemall.ca.
Santa visits Huntsville Place Mall on:
Saturday, December 3 10-1:30 and 2:30-5
Sunday, December 4, 10-12 Sensitive Santa
Sunday, December 4, 12-1:30 and 2:30-4:30
Saturday, December 10 10-1:30 and 2:30-5
Sunday, December 11 11-1:30 and 2:30-4:30
Saturday, December 17 10-1:30 and 2:30-5
Sunday, December 18 11-1:30 and 2:30-4:30
Monday, December 19 1-3 and 4-6
Tuesday, December 20 1-3 and 4-6
Wednesday, December 21 1-3 and 4-6 (last day)
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