Okanagan, Shuswap Project Christmas Elf may be shelved without new organizer

The organizer of Project Christmas Elf in the Okanagan and Shuswap is handing Santa’s reins to someone else this season.

Kathy MacKay is the founder and driving force behind the holiday charity that gives Christmas to families in financial distress.

“Unfortunately, we have experienced some family losses this year, including our house burning down, and after a lot of consideration I realized I won’t be able to devote the time and energy to the project that it deserves,” she wrote on the Project Christmas Elf Facebook page.

READ MORE: How you can help a family this Christmas in Kamloops, Okanagan

MacKay announces the change along with a request for anyone interested in taking up the project to send her a direct message.

“It’s important to know that this is like a full-time job,” the post reads. “You will need the support of others to help run the program and the resources to receive and deliver large amounts of items.

“You'll need a spacious reliable vehicle, your own gas, and an area in your home to receive and store items until delivery.”

READ MORE: Project Christmas Elf returns to help Okanagan families in need

MacKay said it’s important that a prospective Project Christmas Elf be a “caring, empathetic, honest person who will maintain our families’ dignity, privacy and confidentiality."

Project Christmas Elf started in Vernon in 2016 with a Facebook page that sought to pair families experiencing financial distress with those who could offer assistance.

The process is simple: a family reaches out to the project coordinators, who then post what that family needs as well as an anonymous biography. The Christmas elves can then donate the listed items, whether it's a tangible gift or services such as a haircut.

While the project began in Vernon, it is open to families across the Okanagan and Shuswap.

“I have been greatly honoured to have been able to get to know so many amazing families and incredible sponsors in the Okanagan and I hope it will continue this year,” MacKay wrote.

For more information about the project and to connect with MacKay, visit Project Christmas Elf Okanagan and Shuswap on Facebook.

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