Hundreds of Burnaby seniors will receive an extra boost of holiday cheer this season, as the City's Citizen Support Services has partnered with the IAK (Intentional Acts of Kindness) Foundation and the Burnaby School District to launch the Operation Elf program.
Every year, staff from Citizen Support Services deliver Christmas baskets and grocery orders to Burnaby seniors. This year, as part of the Operation Elf, the deliveries will include hand-crafted holiday greetings, drawings and poems created by Burnaby students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
"Operation Elf is a great way to spread holiday cheer, especially for seniors who might not be able to get out and enjoy festive events in Burnaby this season," said Mayor Mike Hurley. "It's great to see so many Burnaby students show such enthusiasm for the program."
Approximately 2,000 Burnaby students have contributed holiday messages to Operation Elf, representing 14 Burnaby schools: Maywood Community School, Brentwood Park Elementary, Lochdale Community School, Windsor Elementary, Taylor Park Elementary, Stoney Creek Community School, South Slope Elementary, Suncrest Elementary, Forest Grove Elementary, Capitol Hill Elementary, Aubrey Elementary, Stride Avenue Community School, Burnaby Central Secondary and Burnaby North Secondary.
"As trustees, one of the favourite parts of the job is a front-row seat to the impact that schools have on our community and how those connections have been maintained with a little creativity throughout the pandemic," said Burnaby Board of Education Chair Jen Mezei. "Examples, such as this, of the leadership efforts of students to spread kindness and joy to seniors are truly heartwarming."
On December 9, the first batch of Operation Elf cards were delivered to Burnaby seniors, as Mayor Hurley and Bruce Campbell, CUPE 23 Union President, joined City staff to distribute Christmas baskets to seniors. The Christmas basket program is sponsored by Parkland Burnaby Refinery, CUPE Local 23, Keith & Betty Beedie Foundation and MulberryPARC Residence.
Operation Elf builds on the success of the Sunshine Notes program, which started in 2020 as a way to spread cheer to seniors who were isolating due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over 1,500 Sunshine Notes were delivered to Burnaby seniors between 2020 and 2021.
Learn more: Burnaby.ca/citizensupportservices
