Nokiiwin Tribal Council

Concerned citizens from Thunder Bay along with MP John Rafferty launched a toy and donations drive called Friends of Attawapiskat Dec. 3. The donation drive is aimed at helping the children of Attawapiskat First Nation during the holiday season.

“We feel that it is important to give the children of Attawapiskat a reason to smile this Christmas and so we asked our MP John Rafferty for his assistance and he’s kindly agreed to allow his office to be used as a drop off location for donations from Thunder Bay residents,” Nicole McKay, president of Lakehead University’s Native Student Association said in a press release.

“Many videos have been posted online about the state of the health and wellbeing of the community members (of Attawapiskat) over the past few days. And as I watched one video in particular of a small child crying in the homeless shelter in Attawapiskat I felt a strong need to respond to that child and others like him. I felt compelled to give him and others like him a reason to smile this Christmas,” Joyce Hunter, a volunteer with the Friends of Attawapiskat said.

Donations are being collected from Dec. 3 to Dec. 19. Drop off locations are MP Rafferty’s office located at 409 George Street and at the Lakehead University’s Native Student Association office located at 955 Oliver Road, Room UC 2019A.

Donations of new toys and children’s clothing like snowsuits, mittens, winter coats, hats and boots are being sought.