l-r Barbara Croome, Kelly Sherman, Christie Leithead (Lisa Striker missing), Corporal Cherrisa Hornoi and Corporal  Craig Douglass with some of the donations made by  RCMP  staff and members

Prince George, B.C.- RCMP general duty, dispatchers, administrative and office staff, have been very busy in Prince George giving back to the community.

For the second   year running, the challenge was issued between the four “watches” within the RCMP to come up with more items than had been donated last year to the Salvation Army. That is a major challenge, as last year, the Salvation Army declared the RCMP as the number one corporate donors, an honour the RCMP staff and members had not expected, “We weren’t competing,” says Corporal Craig Douglass, “It wasn’t something we wanted to win, we just wanted to contribute.” 

And contribute they did. 

This year, organizers of the event say they have collected about $3 thousand dollars worth of food and baby items such as diapers and formula. This year, top honours for making the most donations goes to “D” watch. Last year, it was “C” watch that claimed top honours.

This is not the only event the North District, and Prince George detachments have been involved with. Corporal Douglass says one of the front counter staff members came in contact with a hospice patient this year. When the woman succumbed to her cancer, her four children, ranging in age from 18 months to eleven years, were taken in by their grandmother who was very concerned about how she could give these children a good Christmas. “This is one of the families the local detachment has adopted for Christmas” says Douglass. The children put together a wish list, it was posted for all at the detachment to see, and the results have been nothing short of incredible.   Among the items that will soon be delivered to the children, ipods, a bike, and plenty of baby goodies. Corporal Douglass says the response to this effort was so overwhelming there are duplicate items, which will be donated to the paediatric unit at the University Hospital of Northern B.C..

Another family that was adopted by the RCMP was selected through the Elizabeth Fry Society.   That single mom and her two children will receive about $500 dollars worth of toys and goodies, and a voucher for $200 in food.

Victim Services donated nearly 2 dozen teddy bears for Constable Hurley to take to the B.C. Children’s Hospital where he has a young relative undergoing cancer treatment. Corporal Douglass says Hurley paid for his trip on his own dime, dressed in red serge and handed out the bears to kids at the hospital.

Community Policing in Prince George has been a drop off spot for the Christmas Convoy which will be making the rounds this Friday to [pick up goods from a variety of locations in the downtown for the St. Vincent DePaul Society. Community Policing also adopted a family and is filling up a special box for that family.

“We often see people in the worst situations possible, as victims, or as suspects” says Corporal Douglass, “We want people to know we care about this community, we live here too.”