Pure joy: Group home residents thrilled by gifts

Group home residents living in Kinsmen Manor in Saskatoon were beaming ear to ear as they received special care packages made just for them.

Just before Christmas, Michelle Cates started the Facebook group Local Love Saskatchewan Shopping Guide, which promotes local businesses. The idea of the group is to connect people in Saskatchewan with local businesses that sell the items they are looking for.

The group’s members also like to give back. Before Christmas they raised $10,000 to purchase food, clothing, toys and other necessary items to make Christmas hampers for Haven Kids House, OUTSaskatoon’s Pride Home and Saskatoon Interval House.

Now, Cates has paired up members of the group with group home residents to make them each their own gift baskets.

“(It’s) kind of a tailor-made care package for each resident, to keep them entertained and to bring them some cheer during this really tough time,” Cates said.

Elmwood Residences Inc. posted some pictures of the residents receiving their gifts Tuesday. Since then, Cates has been flooded with people wanting to sponsor.

“I was in need of a few more sponsors and honestly the pictures really put it over the top, because once people saw those incredible, smiling faces, everyone just wanted on board,” she said.

Cates said it’s truly better to give than to receive.

“It’s just really rewarding to see just how well-received those gifts were by those individuals,” she said.

Cates says the group is going to keep donating gift baskets to the remaining Elmwood group homes, which house 116 residents.