A local charity is looking to help others in need this holiday season by giving away game consoles.
Jasen Kerr got the idea for Jay’s Charity when he was in need himself seven years ago.
“I had gone through a few hard times. I found out I had cancer and I had to close down my company,” said Kerr. “At Christmas time I only had enough money to buy a few games for my kids.”
“Christmas Eve, we sat down to watch a movie on the PlayStation, and it crapped out on us, so I had nothing to work with their Christmas gifts the next morning.”
Kerr ended up asking the Fort Sask Informed Facebook page if anyone had a spare console they could provide him for cheap. By the end he was gifted 3 consoles and around 40 games.
“The boys asked me if they could donate the machines and a couple games to some of the people that they knew, so I did, and it was kind of born from there.”
In 2022 the charity gave 174 items to families in need. This year, they’re looking to give out over 200 donations.
However, Kerr says he can’t do it alone. He’s looking for volunteers to help with delivering the consoles and fixing electronics.
“Specifically, we’re hoping to restock on our gaming consoles and games. We’ve got several older consoles, but a lot of the kids in our day and age wants new, and unfortunately we don’t get a lot of the newer consoles.”
“It’s kind of something to brighten the kids Christmas so the parents don’t feel like they failed their kids a little bit.”
Donations are given out through nominations, so if you know somebody who’s in need of a gaming console this Christmas, or if you’re looking to help volunteer, you can do so by visiting the charity’s Facebook page.
