A caring RCMP officer and his wife took it upon themselves to find a way to provide proper winter clothing for more than 100 children in Aklavik.
Constable Jason Emmons and his wife, Larissa, in 2023 found that many youths in the Arctic community did not have adequate winter clothing, stated a release today.
With the assistance of Toys for Tots Canada, Columbia Sportswear was able to donate 92 winter jackets for youth between the ages of 0 to 12 years old.
An RCMP truck bed full of coats for kids in Aklavik. (Photo courtesy of RCMP)
However, due to transportation issues, the clothing was not sent last winter.
In April, RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa was able to transport the clothing from London, Ontario to Aklavik, a community of 1,500 in the Beaufort Delta region.
In October the constable and his wife went to Moose Kerr School and handed out the new winter jackets.
But with the delay in delivery, new resident arrivals to Aklavik and some existing kids outgrew the size originally provided.
Undeterred, the couple managed to quickly getting the new sizes, which were recently distributed.
In total, 120 jackets were given out.
When Constable Emmons was posted in Fort Smith in 2020, he and Larissa made the 2021 pandemic holidays a little happier.
With the help of Toys for Tots Canada, the couple shared their mission on Fort Smith’s Facebook page and posted flyers at local grocery and drug stores, gathering 55 names from 20 families in need.
The National Police Federation recognized the constable for his work, stating in a social media post: “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Jason, his family, friends, and the support of Toys for Tots Canada, local businesses and crafters, they were able to deliver presents to these deserving families on December 23.”
Plenty of packages for young people in Aklavik. (Photo courtesy of RCMP)
