PENINSULA Holiday Cookbook inside
Teddy Bear Toss Friday
Look for your copy of the PNR’s annual Holiday Cookbook inside today’s edition. Black Press
Help Toys for Tots this Friday during the Peninsula Panthers’ game at Panorama, page 23
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Saying thanks C O M M U N I T Y
N E W S
M E D I A
NEWS REVIEW
Watch for breaking news at www.vicnews.com
Local man works to give back to community that supported him Devon MacKenzie News staff
After the community rallied around him and his family over the last two years, a Sidney man is doing what he can to give back. Chris Wallace, father of Coen Wallace (3) who was born with non-functioning kidneys, decided last year to look for ways to give back to a community that supported his family through thick and thin. “Since Coen has had a transplant and is healthy I looked back on all the support we got from the community and I wanted to give something back,” Chris said. Chris works for the Town of Sidney in the Public Works department and utilized his to come up with “This is the sort of connections a way to give back. “I approached the Town stuff that goes on right and Beacon Community Serhere in our community vices last year and we came up with an idea to help out that no one knows families in need over Christabout.” mas,” said Chris. Through their client con– Chris Wallace nections, Beacon Community Services was able to provide Chris a list of families last December who were in need of a little help with gifts and essentials over the holidays. “The response was crazy. People were so generous and the list that came from Beacon Community Services was eye opening,” Chris said, adding that among the recipients on last year’s list was an 18-year-old girl whose parents both died and she was left caring for her four siblings so they didn’t get separated in foster care. “This is the sort of stuff that goes on right here in our community that no one knows about.” PleaSe See: Five families will have a happier holiday, page 3
Steven Heywood/News staff
Sian Bonshor and Kaitlyn Ogden brought in a bag of pennies that they had been saving up for a couple months. They donated it to the PNR’s Coins for Kids campaign and every bit helps make the season a little brighter for a child in need on the Saanich Peninsula.
Firefighters food drive Saturday Watch for the lights as Peninsula firefighters collect for the food bank Steven Heywood and Devon MacKenzie News staff
Don’t be alarmed when you hear the sirens and see the flashing emergency lights of the fire department in your neighbourhood Saturday. Two local fire departments on the Saanich Peninsula are teaming up to fight hunger on Dec. 14. Firefighters will be collecting donations of food in their annual drive for the
Sidney Lions Food Bank. Crews from Sidney and Central Saanich will be out in their respective communities collecting food, cash donations and other items. North Saanich firefighters will be out the following weekend. Sidney Deputy Fire Chief Brett Mikklesen says the Sidney firefighters will be out on the trucks between 4 and 8 p.m. on Saturday.
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PleaSe See: Watch for the donation bags, page 5