Skip to content

Christmas Parade of emergency vehicles set to collect for food bank

“There’s a lot of folks out there, especially right now in trying economic times that we all face, with inflation and rising costs of everything, and we want everybody in Cochrane to be able to celebrate Christmas,” Fedeyko said.
lights
Cochrane's parade of emergency services vehicles cross the Jack Tennant bridge during the 2020 parade.

A Cochrane Christmas tradition that is popular with kids, grown-ups, and first responders is set to roll again – it’s the Emergency Services Parades for the food bank.

Starting around suppertime Dec. 2 in Sunset, a parade of fire trucks, sheriffs' cars, and even maybe an ambulance will be disturbing the peace – legally – with lights flashing and sirens intermittently sounding to let people know it’s time to come outside with food and toys destined for the Cochrane Activettes’ Share Your Christmas drive.

It’s so the less fortunate can have a happy Christmas.

Coun. Marni Fedeyko has been involved in the event for years now and looks forward to it every time.

“It’s a spectacular thing to witness,” she said.

Riding in the vehicles every year, she’s overwhelmed by the support.

“People are out there tearing up, we’ve had trumpet players . . .,” her voice trails off.

One mom came out with her son to give a gift one year, and told Fedeyko she was a recipient of a hamper the year before, and wanted to return the favour a year later.

“There’s a lot of folks out there, especially right now in trying economic times that we all face, with inflation and rising costs of everything, and we want everybody in Cochrane to be able to celebrate Christmas,” Fedeyko said.

The parade of loud and shiny vehicles partners with the Activettes’ program to provide Christmas hampers to those in need. The hampers are comprised of food items, toys and gifts as well.

Fedeyko added that if people see a fire engine with lights flashing and siren blaring in their neighbourhood, they should know their house is not on fire.

For those who don’t happen to have food items on hand when they see the lights flashing, the parade vehicles will also accept cheques made out to Cochrane Activettes, or gift cards.

But they prefer non-perishable food, and unwrapped toys or gifts for children and teenagers – a group Fedeyko admits can be notoriously difficult to buy for.

She offered a couple of gift ideas, speaking from experience as the mother of a 15-year-old daughter.

“It can be anything from bath sets, hiking products, headphones, anything to do with music, Spotify gift cards, make-up, toques, gloves, board games are always good,” she said.

“I’m a single parent. I can’t imagine my kids on Christmas day not having anything to open – that’s why [this] pulls on my heartstrings, because everybody deserves that.”

People who may not be home can leave their donations on the driveway.

The caravans will be in Sunset Ridge Dec. 2, Heritage Hills, Heartland and Fireside Dec. 3, Gleneagles, East End, Cochrane Heights, and Sunterra Dec. 6, Riverview, Glenbow, Jumping Pound, and Bow Ridge/Meadows Dec. 7, West Valley Dec. 9, and Riversong, The Willows, and River Heights Dec. 10.

Those neighbourhoods can expect to see the lights and hear the sirens starting around 5 p.m.

Families or individuals who want to find out how they might receive one of the hampers can call the Activettes’ Share Your Christmas request phone line at 403-369-8837.


Howard May

About the Author: Howard May

Howard was a journalist with the Calgary Herald and with the Abbotsford Times in BC, where he won a BC/Yukon Community Newspaper Association award for best outdoor writing.
Read more



Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks