Nanoose Bay is overrun with elves. Dozens of volunteers are not only buying and wrapping gifts, they are making things to sell and donate to Nanoose Community Services (NCS) for the holidays.
Residents are choosing tags from one of 10 decorated Christmas trees in the region and buying the requested gifts like “pajamas for a nine-year-old boy,” or “$25 iTunes gift card,” said Communications Chair Judy Love-Eastham.
The gifts are then returned to the tree for NCS elves to wrap and get to registered families. Some families or groups are also sponsoring an entire family or senior in need. They will purchase gifts specifically requested and wrap them.
The Elf Program was started 25 years ago by Virginia Brucker, who was teaching first grade at the time in Nanoose Bay.
“It started because of one girl in my class,” she told The NEWS last year. “This girl, she had nothing — and I mean nothing — and she said to me one day ‘I don’t think Santa is coming to my house. And I knew I had to do something.”
The elves at Red Cod Forge Studio in Nanoose Bay have been busy creating special hand-forged Christmas trees and are donating all of the funds to NCS. Ten per cent of all sales through the weekend will also be donated to NCS.
Debra and Dave Kasprick, founders of the Nanoose Bay Studio Christmas Crawl (December 12 & 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) will also open their studio on Dec. 11 from 4 to 8 p.m. to give visitors the opportunity to see the Christmas lighting in their outdoor sculpture walk as well as Dave’s new creation, the “Nordic Flame,” a large sculpted fire torch.
To get involved in the NCS Christmas Elf Program pick a tag from one of the many trees at businesses and public locations throughout the region. These include, in Nanoose Bay: Coastal Community Credit Union, Fairwinds Centre and Clubhouse, Medicine Centre, the post office, Nanoose Place and St. Mary’s Anglican Church, and in Parksville, Hot ‘N Cool Yoga and Jim’s Gym.
To sponsor someone or for more information contact co-ordinator Maureen Moore at 250-586-9788. Cash donations are also welcome.