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Sooke pharmacy making Christmas wishes come true

Gifts go to Ayre Manor residents, Sooke Christmas Bureau and the women’s transition house

Presents under the tree are one of the iconic images of Christmas. Pharmasave is helping make that a reality for needy women, children and seniors in Sooke this year.

The drug store’s Christmas wish tree campaign was set up when the store’s manager and pharmacist Mohamed Zeid reached out to Ayre Manor about how the business could help. Someone from the assisted living community suggested a wish tree campaign.

Now there are three trees in Pharmasave, decorated with wishes from people in need.

Customers can pick a wish off a tree and then buy the gift in the store or bring it in. The gifts are then donated to one of three organizations: Ayre Manor, the Sooke Christmas Bureau and the women’s transition house run by the Sooke House Transition Society.

“Wishes have been flying off the trees,” Zeid said. “The community has been really helpful.”

The wishes on the Ayre Manor tree have been cleared off three times already. All told, Zeid says, between 150 to 200 gifts have been bought for Ayre Manor residents, with some wishes left on the tree for the Christmas Bureau and the transition house, which both started with around 100 wishes each.

He added it was important to help out the three different groups to ensure people weren’t forgotten at Christmas.

Next year Pharmasave hopes to run a Twelve Days of Christmas event, with each day dedicated to a specific charity.

The store is also collecting donations of socks for the homeless on behalf of the Sooke Rotary Club.

Pharmasave will buy wishes that don’t picked off the tree.

READ MORE: Sooke Christmas Bureau preparing for increased demand


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bailey.moreton@goldstreamgazette.com

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