For the second straight year, three local organizations are teaming up to help local families during the Christmas season.
The Estevan Mercury Teddy Bear Toss returns to Affinity Place on Dec. 2, when the Estevan Bruins host the Notre Dame Hounds.
Last year, the event took place in early December for the first time in many years in Estevan.
The Bruins partner with the Salvation Army and the Mercury to put the event together.
The teddy bear toss is a popular event at hockey games near Christmas. Fans purchase teddy bears, and during the designated game, they throw all the bears onto the ice when the home team scores their first goal.
The bears are then handed over to the Estevan branch of the Salvation Army, which sees that all the stuffed toys find their way into the arms of local children.
Last year, roughly 450 bears were tossed onto the ice when the Bruins scored their first goal against the Humboldt Broncos.
"It was a wonderful experience last year. It was a great night. People brought in not only teddy bears to throw on the ice when the Bruins scored, but brought in food for the food bank and cash donations. It was a great opportunity to launch the Christmas season well and the community really came through with their support for the Salvation Army," said Lieutenant Brian Bobolo.
"These events are really important. It really brings people together to support people in our community. All the funds go to support people right here in Estevan. At this time of year, the need increases, the demand on the food bank increases. There are a lot of people struggling to put food on their table at this time," Bobolo added.
Fans can purchase their own teddy bears and they will also be on sale at the game for $2 each.
"I think it's the fact that it's generosity toward kids and families in need. Plus, it's fun to throw teddy bears on the ice," Bruins marketing manager Clark Munroe said of the popularity of the event.
"It's just an event where people can really get behind the community here and get behind a great cause like the Salvation Army. It's fun to see how much of a massive impact this has, and all the teddy bears on the ice really is a good sign of that.
"It's a big time of year for those guys, and anything we can do to help, we're helping them out quite a lot this year. Any way the Bruins can help out with that and get involved in the community, we always try to do our best. The Salvation Army is obviously a big one," Munroe added.
Mercury publisher Brant Kersey said it is important that the newspaper can help out when it comes to supporting others in the community.
"Last year's teddy bear toss, the first in Estevan in recent memory, was a huge success. The Mercury is honoured to partner with the Salvation Army and the Bruins in order to help local children and families in need," he said.
Munroe said the teddy bear toss can be particularly meaningful for people, since they know exactly what their contribution will accomplish.
"Oftentimes if you donate a couple of bucks somewhere, you don't really see how it helps, but the fun part about this is you donate a couple of bucks or bring a teddy bear and you see the immediate impact. The immediate payoff is right there on the ice after. It's just a way to bring everybody together. It's not just the Bruins that help out. The Bruins help clean up, the other team helps clean up. It's a way to bring everybody together and realize what the season's really about. It's all about generosity. That's the big message behind it all."
Bobolo added: "I think that brings a lot of joy to the donors at Christmastime and makes them feel like they're contributing to a family in a meaningful way."
Meanwhile, the Salvation Army is about to launch its annual kettle campaign and direct mail campaign, and are looking for volunteers to man the kettles.
"Any funds that come in go to support the food bank, our emergency shelter program, children's camps, various other programs and emergency disaster relief efforts. All the funds stay right in the area. We support the outlying communities as well. It's our main fundraiser. The two campaigns really set up the rest of the year for us," Bobolo said.
Also during Tuesday's game, the angel tree will be set up for people to donate toys and cash. The angel tree has tags on it, each for one child in the community. The person who takes that tag off the tree will purchase gifts for that child.
A little sooner, meanwhile, the Bruins will be partnering with the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation's second annual Festival of Trees during Thursday's game, also against the Hounds.
"They were very happy to (be involved), and having them at Thursday's game is going to be really big. They're going to have the SaskEnergy Tree of Warmth there and they're going to take donations of toques and scarves and mitts and donate it all to the Salvation Army," Munroe said.
The festival will take place on Saturday. The next morning, Santa's Breakfast with the Bruins will take place from 9 a.m. to noon.
"All of the Bruins will be there. We're going to have autograph tables, crafts set up, a pancake breakfast, all fun things for the kids and the whole family, really, to come out to," said Munroe.
