THUNDER BAY — A charity campaign to outfit the youth of Kingfisher Lake First Nation and Big Trout Lake First Nation in winter clothing is looking to meet an ambitious target on Giving Tuesday.
Mikinakoos Children's Fund, an Indigenous children’s charity that helps provide essentials to youth in remote First Nations communities, hopes to reach a $20,000 fundraising goal by the end of the day.
“Giving Tuesday is our most important fundraising time of the year,” said executive director Emily Shandruk. “As the weather gets colder, ensuring First Nations communities have the items they need to stay safe and comfortable throughout the winter months is essential.”
The Thunder Bay-based organization said it had raised around $7,000 of its goal as of Monday.
A recipient from last year’s campaign, which provided students from 15 remote Northwestern Ontario communities with winter coats, called the charity’s work essential.
Keewaytinook Internet High School (KiHS) principal Angela Batsford said the gift had directly supported learning.
“Access to warm clothing is limited in small fly-in-only communities,” she said. “So Mikinakoos’ Giving Tuesday donation last year made a tremendous impact in the lives of our students by helping them enjoy just being kids.”
“Having proper winter clothing is essential for full participation in land-based activities and no students should be faced with a barrier to education, whether it occurs inside or outside of the physical classroom.”
This year’s campaign will benefit Kingfisher Lake, situated 350 kilometres north of Sioux Lookout, and Big Trout Lake, about 580 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.
In a release, Mikinakoos said climate change is exacerbating existing supply challenges for the communities, which are accessible only by air and winter road during the cold season.
Since the start of the pandemic, Mikinakoos stated the cost of delivering food and other goods to First Nations has jumped by 400 per cent.
Giving Tuesday has become a growing tradition, arising as a response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales to encourage people to give to a worthy cause while already in a spending mood.
Residents can learn more about the campaign and donate at the Mikinakoos website.
