Keeping Seniors Warm hosts annual shopping spree at Giant Tiger in Sudbury

A volunteer group called Keeping Seniors Warm is back at it again. Over the past nine years, the committee has raised thousands of dollars to take seniors shopping.

Throughout the day Wednesday, seniors were treated to a $175 shopping spree at Giant Tiger.

One of the individuals taking part in the event is Robert Demers. He told CTV News that he’s been on disability for nearly four decades, and without this shopping spree, he wouldn’t be able to afford warm winter clothing for himself.

“Sometimes I like to go for a walk but my legs, they need covering. The clothing is very important, we don’t have the money to buy winter clothes so we appreciate the help.”

Officials with Keeping Seniors Warm said this event has grown significantly over the years.

“When we first started, this was an idea that came out of a seniors advisory panel meeting and there was a great need in the community,” said Mary Michasiw with Keeping Seniors Warm.

“So, we started that year with seventeen seniors that we were able to assist. The following year 35 seniors and then it just continued to grow and now we accommodate a hundred seniors and the need is even greater.”

Michasiw said without warm clothing, seniors tend to isolate themselves and stay indoors which is one of the main reasons why this event was started.

“One of the reasons that they were even more isolated in the winter time was because they didn’t have the clothing to go out. You can’t go out in the snow and the slush with running shoes. We want to make sure that seniors are active. We want them to be able to participate, to go out and enjoy the weather, their friends…whatever they can get involved in. It makes people feel good, it’s giving out seniors an opportunity to experience something new, something that they don’t normally get to experience,” said Michasiw.

Officials with Keeping Seniors Warm said this event wouldn’t be possible without all the community support the group receives throughout the year leading up to this event.