With the ferries closed and the ice roads weeks away, AklavikSA国际影视传媒檚 isolation is presenting some difficulties leading up to the Christmas holiday this year.

To meet those challenges, a dedicated group of volunteers is running a Christmas toy drive for the hamlet, with a $7,000 fundraising goal of getting one present per child.

SA国际影视传媒淭his time last year, people were already driving to Inuvik,SA国际影视传媒� said co-organizer Clarissa Gordon, who is collecting donations alongside Mina McLeod, Heather Evans, Karine Belisle, Janine Johnson, Megan Lennie and Amanda Reynolds. SA国际影视传媒淲e only have two grocery stores and theySA国际影视传媒檙e very limited for Christmas presents SA国际影视传媒� they donSA国际影视传媒檛 have toys or anything.

SA国际影视传媒淗alf the town doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 have a bank card, because we donSA国际影视传媒檛 have a bank in our community. Many families canSA国际影视传媒檛 afford a plane ticket or a boat to go to Inuvik to even get a bank card, so we have many families that donSA国际影视传媒檛 have access to online shopping.

SA国际影视传媒淎ll those barriers are why weSA国际影视传媒檙e doing the Christmas drive.SA国际影视传媒�

With the ice road not likely until December, assembling toys in time for Christmas comes with some significant logistical hurdles, such as the fact everything needs to be flown in, increasing the costs of items.

Consequentially, Gordon noted there was a hard deadline to actually order the items online to ensure they reach the community in time. She noted the cause has received great support so far, with donations from the Hamlet of Aklavik, Aklavik Community Corporation, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Northern Store and SDC Drilling.

ItSA国际影视传媒檚 been a busy month for the team of six, who have been working around the clock to raise funds, selling raffle tickets, dinner plates and other services to bring in enough money for the project. Gordon added she was accepting cash donations until Nov. 19 and toy donations all the way until Christmas.

SA国际影视传媒淚f you were to go shopping and you wanted to buy an extra gift, you can sent that to us,SA国际影视传媒� said Gordon. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 just the fact we have to order online, and during the Christmas season things get backlogged, so thatSA国际影视传媒檚 why we have the deadline for Nov. 19 for cash donations. But if youSA国际影视传媒檙e sending Christmas toys or presents, then by all means do that.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e aware of the struggle of living so far up North, in such an isolated community. So we wanted to do this drive to take some stress off families and make some kids happy.SA国际影视传媒�

Toy donations can be mailed to Heather Evans at PO Box 42, Aklavik, NT, X0E 0A0. Gordon said anyone who wants to donate money or help out should contact her over Facebook to get the email for sending an EMT.