Women and children staying in two Kamloops area shelters on Christmas morning received gifts from Barriere area residents.
Barb Gordon of the Anti Violence Society in Barriere said they decided to make Christmas a little brighter for women and children staying at the Kamloops and District Elizabeth Fry Society and Y Women's shelters, but they did not do it alone.
Contributions came from the Barriere Quilters who made large fully-lined carry bags and cosmetic/shower bags, the Barriere Knitting Group who knit stockings for all the women and the Barriere after-school teen group that meets on Fridays who made stockings and decorated them for all the children.
The Anti Violence Society purchased all the goodies to stuff the bags and stockings.
"Everyone jumped on board to help us," Gordon said. "The staff were overwhelmed with the donations and some tears were shed."
Gordon is a one of three directors on the Anti Violence Society in Barriere, alongside president Lynn Wright and director Maryann Shewchuk.
She's been involved since the society's inception, which she said was at least 10 years ago, if not more.
It was the need in the community that inspired the society to be formed, she explained.
"Yellowhead Services had put together a focus group and there were some gaps and the gaps that we thought were lacking was education," Gordon said. "We had a program running in the schools for a number of years."
Keeping the instructors was difficult because the program was only running one day a week so they dropped that and are now supplying donations directly to shelters.
In this day and age is it 'shocking,' that women and children still need to access shelters, Gordon said, adding it is the laws that need to be changed.
"Until the laws change it [violence] is going to continue."
Thankful for the community helping out, she said she was sure there were lots of happy faces and smiles on Christmas morning because of the donations.
