Nathan Erickson-Smith is launching a "Cookies for Kids" program with support from community leaders Josh and Angele Nutley and the Quesnel Bakery to help children who are in the hospital over the holidays.
"It's (for) kids who have to spend the holiday time in the hospital for loved ones or unfortunately if it is for themselves," Erickson-Smith said. "I have lost my mom, my grandma and my grandpa and all three of them, we had to spend time in the hospital around that time."
His hope is to give children something positive around that difficult time and help them have more positive memories. When he was younger, his grandmother who was a nurse made cookies and had him hand them out to people in the hospital, which he said gave them a chance to connect with others.
"It's not necessarily about the cookie, it's more or less having that opportunity to actually spend time and have something to kind of come around at that time," he said.
People can donate two dollars to the program to buy a cookie for someone that will be given out by Erickson-Smith and others during the holidays. He's focusing on asking local people and local businesses to support it because he wants to make it a community program.
He's also hoping to have cookies to hand out to the nurses who are working over the holidays.
"My mom and grandma were both nurses and on Christmas sometimes you don't get to see your mom and we'd go in there and visit her," he said.
If there are any cookies left after their visit to the hospital, the hope is to go to Dunroven and connect with seniors in the same way.
"A toonie is maybe going to make a family's last Christmas, or first Christmas, the best," he said.
People who would like to donate can contact Erickson-Smith at Nathan_M.ES@hotmail.com.
