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Activities 2009
Community Enthusiasm
- OSC wishes to thank the following Companies and Service Groups:
- Operation Home Fires – Royal Canadian Legions Southern Ontario Regions put out the call for their members to help collect goodies that would be included in the holiday gifts boxes.
- Operation Wish – Sears Canada provided the Military Family Resource Centres with banners and material for the children to draw wonderful pictures of holiday greetings to be sent to our soldiers.
- Operation Xmas Puddings – St. John’s Newfoundland Business Community gets together to make a special holiday pudding using a secret old time family recipe.
- Operation Community Support –- 15 Sobey’s store participated in this year’s activities. Their very successful donation drives for Op Santa exceeded in providing $100,000 worth of goods.
- Operation Santa’s Sled – Andlaurer Transportation – They are our official Santa’s Sled picking up donations from all across Canada
- Operation Angel- Susanne Thomas has been making angels for our deployed soldiers for over three years now. Susanne is totally blind and in a wheelchair. Through isolation, loneliness and fear of the unknown she found her love for designing and beading angels. She has designed the angels to be a companion for our soldiers to remind them that they are not alone and that there are many people who care. Susanne can be contacted at: susannesangels@sympatico.ca
- Operation Knit–Your–Bit : Ms. Christie Johnson headed up a group of women from across Canada to band together to knit our soldiers a little comfort gift from home. These gifts consisted of toques, neck warmers and slippers.
NEWSPAPER ACTIVITIES
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Sobey's - Operation Community Support |
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PUDDINGS FOR CHRISTMAS
Photos and text by Keith Gosse
The Telegram
For the past three years, Gary Corcoran and a small group of volunteers has been making Christmas puddings for Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan and this year is no different. With about 10 volunteers, he is making enough puddings for 3,000 soldiers wanting a taste of home while they are away for the holiday season.
The list of ingredients is definitely large-sized: 50 kilograms each of brown sugar, candied cherries and flour, 32 kilograms of sultana raisins, 25 kilograms of candied pineapple and much more. The process takes a full day using the facilities of the Canadian Forces mess hall in Pleasantville and a bit of muscle. The puddings are steamed, not baked, and each pudding takes about four hours to cook.
They are then cooled and frozen and will eventually be sent to Canadian Forces base Trenton and on to Afghanistan.
The group of volunteers are either affiliated with the Canadian Forces in some way or a friend of Corcoran’s.
He says they all value what the members of the forces do and they just want to show their appreciation for their work.
And although his recipe does call for four litres of Newfoundland Screech, in these circumstances white grape juice is being substituted.
Survey Testimonies 2009
TF Balkans, Sarejevo - “I appreciate all that is being done for the troops deployed”
TF Pristina Kosovo - “I was very surprised with the variety of items contained in the Op Santa parcel. It was more than I could have asked for. I wouldn't change a thing.
“Keep the program running for as long as we have troops overseas. It's a great moral booster.”
I have been on four over seas tours and this is the first time I received a parcel such as Op Santa Claus. What a great support service. I really enjoyed the Xmas cards from the school children, not to mention all the fabulous treats.
KAF Afghanistan - Excellent, nice duffle bags.