A group of volunteers at Hidden Treasures Thrift Store in Chilliwack prepared 25 gift bags for men incarcerated at Kwìkwèxwelhp Healing Village, a minimum-security federal institution operated by Correctional Services Canada (CSC). The volunteers provided food, snacks, and other treats for each bag, as well as a Christmas card.
Last Wednesday afternoon, Elder Pascal Adam and his wife, Herta, delivered the bags to the prison, which is located in Harrison Mills, BC.
Before the pandemic, some of the men incarcerated at Kwìkwèxwelhp would volunteer at Hidden Treasures while on Escorted Temporary Absence (ETA). The men worked alongside store staff and community volunteers, serving customers, loading deliveries, and pricing items.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, however, ETA programs at Hidden Treasures have been on hold since March 2020.
“Last Christmas I asked CSC staff if we could send gift bags to the guys,” said Elaine Warkentin, the store’s manager. “They said yes, so we gathered a few volunteers and prepared the bags. It’s a way to remind them that we are thinking of them.”
This year, the tradition continued. Warkentin said CSC provides guidelines about what can go in the bags. “It has to be consumables,” she explained, “so we sent Christmas goodies: crackers, pop, candy, soup, pepperoni, etc.”
For Elder Pascal, the bags are a way of saying thank you. “We are always happy to help them out. When they are able, they come and help us with whatever needs to be done.”
Elder Pascal regularly visits men at halfway houses and prisons, including Kwìkwèxwelhp, throughout the Fraser Valley.
Hidden Treasures has two stores, one in Chilliwack and one in Abbotsford. Revenue from the stores helps fund our prison mentorship program and No One Leaves Alone (NOLA) community reintegration program.
“We look forward to resuming our ETA program with Kwìkwèxwelhp in the near future,” said Glenn Burchart, Program Director at M2/W2 Association. “Until then I’m glad that Elder Pascal is able to visit there. I’m also grateful to the volunteers who took the time to put together the gift bags and share a little Christmas cheer.”