Martensville Messenger November 24, 2016 | Page 5

18 Wheels of Christmas

Ciara O ’ Reilly , Martensville Messenger
18 Wheels of Christmas Rolls up to the back-alley of the Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre warehouse to unload a semi full of food collected from our community every year . Founded in 2002 , 18 Wheels of Christmas is a way for the Global Transportation Community to give something back to the community they work in . For those who don ’ t know , the 18 Wheels of Christmas is a large food donation truck . Citizens of our community and surrounding areas are asked to help fill the truck with nonperishable food items in order to help those in need . This will be the 8th season of working together in support of the Saskatoon Food Bank .
This year has been extremely difficult for the citizens of Saskatoon . With an economic downturn , an increase in the cost of living and high unemployment , the Saskatoon Food Bank is seeing more people accessing their service . Food Banks Canada states that each month over 850,000 people turn to food banks for assistance ; more than one-third of this number are children and youth . Currently , there are 21,000 people that use the Saskatoon Food Bank monthly . This year members of this charity will be delivering to the Saskatoon Food Bank on December 13th . If you would like a food collection box setup at your workplace they will drop off as many as you request to your location . Volunteers will then collect the boxes when they are full ; just give them a call . Alternatively , you can write a cheque to 18 Wheels of Christmas and they can even do the grocery shopping . You will receive a tax receipt back . Any donations of $ 400.00 or more and 18 Wheels will have your Company name decaled on the trailer for one year .
Last year your contribution helped raise 37,335 pounds of food . 18 Wheels of Christmas needs your help in filling the specially wrapped trailer more than ever before . Your donation is key to accomplish this goal . Your support is always appreciated .
Please contact Tim , Chico or Pam at ( 306 ) 244- 7088 or by email to tim . rosenau @ rosenau . ca chico . pobereznek @ rosenau . ca pamela . walsh @ rosenau . ca or to 18wheels . xmas @ rosenau . ca .
martensville messenger - nOvemBer 24 , 2016 - Page 5

Crafty Pins and needles

Ciara O ’ Reilly , Martensville Messenger
Every year for roughly four years , a wonderful group of ladies within our community come together to produce handmade essentials for those in need in our very own Baptist Church , located on Centennial Drive . Having met through church , a lovely relationship was formed amongst this group who have named themselves “ Crafty Pins and Needles .” Each holiday season , shoeboxes are put together by these ladies and sent off to misfortunates .
This year these women are on a knitting frenzy , having knit over 350 toques since starting the project in the beginning of September . The toques will be distributed to Calgary and sent off to the children of the war-torn country , Ukraine . The yarn used for these toques were mainly attained through donations ; a large donation was from that of Dorothy Ens ’ ( Owner of A & W ) mother . The ladies voiced their thanks . Boxes in the church were stuffed to the brim with knitted goods as they awaited the semi-trucks to collect them .
This is not the first year of giving for these thoughtful individuals . Many other handmade items have also been produced throughout the years including pillowcase dresses for children of Zambia , blankets for the cancer society , and also hygiene kits and sanitary napkins for the young ladies of Haiti . These selfless ladies are very passionate about what they do and enjoy doing it . Some of the wild ones even confessed to staying up to roughly quarter to one in the morning , furiously knitting away . “ It just gets so addicting ,” admitted Lorraine , member of Crafty Pins and Needles .
Donations of yarn are more than welcome in support of Crafty Pins and Needles ; please contact Lorraine Redekop at ( 306 ) 229-2579 . Happy knitting !
RIGHT : The ladies of ‘ Crafty Pins and Needles ’.
LEFT : City of Martensville employees were adding some Christmas cheer to the streetlights on Thursday , November 17th .