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DE BEERS SHARES THE WARMTH WITH NWT CHARITIES

13 May 2016

Nearly 500 quilt comforters from De Beers Snap Lake Mine will find new homes this morning as De Beers shares the warmth with four Yellowknife charities.

The comforters were purchased for the construction phase at Snap Lake and kept on site in the event they were needed. With Snap Lake Mine in Care and Maintenance, it was decided the comforters could be put to better use by donating them to shelters in need in Yellowknife and to the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation for emergency use.

De Beers Yellowknife office employees will #sharethewarmth with deliveries to the following shelters this morning:

YWCA – Lynn’s Place
SideDoor Youth Ministries – Hope’s Haven
Centre for Northern Families
The Salvation Army

“De Beers is happy to be able to provide support to these organizations by redirecting these resources to Yellowknifers in need,” said Tim Harris, Business Development Manager with the Gahcho Kué Project. “It is our hope that this donation will help relieve some pressure on the shelters as they focus on providing emergency care with their own resources.”

“All youth experiencing homelessness who access SideDoor’s emergency shelter and Hope’s Haven (transitional housing and supports) greatly appreciate De Beers' generous donation,” said Iris Hamlyn, Executive Director of the SideDoor. “Thank you for making an impact in the fight to prevent, reduce and end youth homelessness.”

Earlier this month, De Beers also donated fire-retardant wool blankets to the Yellowknife and Hay River SPCAs to #sharethewarmth with animals in need. These blankets were quickly put to use in shelters as bedding.

“Hay River SPCA would like to thank De Beers for the wonderful gift of blankets. They will certainly be appreciated by all of the pets coming into our care,” said Heather Foubert, president.

“I would also like to acknowledge the many volunteers who offered help in getting them transported and stored for us: Jean and Vern from NTPC, Dwayne from Blue Diamond and Rocky and Brian from Concept Energy, thank you so much. We rely tremendously on donations to keep our shelter going and this has been a great addition, enabling us to provide comfort for the rescued pets in our community. Paws-itively wonderful!”