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A grocery store in Squamish, B.C., continued to serve the community even when it was closed for Christmas Day.
Stong’s Market store manager Devon Crane said they wanted to make sure the community was taken care of while the shop was closed.
So, after it closed on Christmas Eve, staff placed commonly forgotten cooking items and food on a table outside the store for people to take, free of charge.
“As you know, on Christmas, everything’s closed, so there’s not many options,” Crane said.
The small table was filled with many of the most often forgotten items for Christmas dinner. (Erin Peters)
Not only did people take the items, but they also made a kind gesture to other people in by donating hundreds of dollars.
“Turkey bags, your gravy, your poultry seasoning, little things like that,” Crane said.
Among the items on the table was a sign with a QR code asking people to consider donating to those in need at Squamish Helping Hands Society — which provides shelter, food, and support to people experiencing homelessness — in exchange for taking an item.
Security footage shows people walking up to the closed grocery store and taking the items left outside (Stong’s Market)
Stong’s was able to track that eight people had scanned the QR code, but it couldn’t track the total donations.
Lori Pyne, executive director at Squamish Helping Hands, said the organization hadn’t expected the kind gesture.
“I did not know they were doing it, it came to me from a community member. I think it’s fantastic,” Pyne said.
The organization received $353 through scanned donations between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Pyne said.
Pyne said it’s important to recognize that people’s needs differ widely.
“I think it’s important that Stong’s recognized that vulnerable people are people too, and that those donations were meant for people in need, but also for people that needed something that they forgot [to buy],” Pyne said.
“It’s just really important that we all support each other at Christmas,” Crane said.
Grocery store staff were thrilled to hear how much honey was raised for the charity. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)