Boxes of Light Project Postponed

Until Saturday, February 26th, 2022

Dear Mountainview Church,


This morning, after watching the latest Yukon Health update, and having a conversation with Kaitlyn Weinberger, Global & City Impact Director with Village Church, it was clear that our plans for January were not going to work out. Unfortunately, due to the high level of infection and restriction in the Yukon, the Boxes of Light Project (including the coinciding Village Ministry Trip) has been postponed until Saturday, February 26th, 2022.


This is obviously a huge hit to all of us, and hard to understand given this initiative was directly serving those struggling with depression, addiction and other mental health related issues. And full disclosure, it’s hard for me as a pastor, to understand the current emergency measures, after receiving an exception from Delta variant last month, just to have it revoked for the Omicron variant.


Nevertheless, this is where we’re at. We will prayerfully look forward to February. It will still be cold, it will still be fairly dark, and people will still need our help. So, we’ll pick up where we left off, and serve our city then!


Peace,

Jeremy Norton

Lead Pastor

Boxes of Light Project

Almost a decade ago, the third Monday of January was dubbed the saddest day of the year.


Blue Monday marks the beginning of a significantly dark season in the North. After the nostalgia of Christmas and New Year’s is gone and community outreach projects have concluded, the credit card bills remain, and sunlight is still limited. This combination of factors affects many people very negatively.

During the last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of February, many people in our community experience increased addiction, mental illness, depression, and tragically, suicide becomes the chosen option for far too many during this time of year.


This of course, is during a normal year. This year, as was last year, will be very different!


Adding to the normative ebb and flow of the Blue Monday season, the fears and outcomes of COVID-19 and the subsequent restrictions, have already and will continue to make this coming month one of the darkest mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.


Mountainview Church (Whitehorse) is again partnering with Village Church (Vancouver) to bring light to the North, during one of the darkest seasons of the year. In the middle of January, we will be creating and distributing 250 “Boxes of Light” to Yukon residents that are struggling with addition, depression, and mental illness.


They will contain a number of gifts to bless them and bring them hope, as well as a uniquely designed help-card containing local contacts and hotlines to keep, and help them reach out in their time of need. Even the box itself will be designed as something that they will want to keep, to contain help and hope when they need it. However, we can’t achieve this on our own!


We need your help gathering items to be placed in our Boxes of Light.


Would you be able to donate items that may be suitable for our Boxes of Light? Or perhaps offer a reduced cost on certain items? We need to collect/purchase 250 of each and every item so no one gets less. Even something small can have a significant impact!


Here are a few items that you may be able to provide:

  • Candle(s) and/or Candle Holder
  • Book / Clip Light (Book-Mark Light or Clip-On Book Light)
  • Light-up Mini-USB Charger / Lightning Cable / Ear Buds (A simple useful gift.)
  • Hand and Foot Warmers
  • Glow-sticks or Light Rings
  • Light Themed Candy and/or White Chocolate
  • Recipes / Soup Mixes / Other Edible Gifts
  • Store bought soup kits
  • Notebooks and/or Pens (Nicer notebooks and pens preferred.)
  • Colouring book & Pencil Crayons (Gender neutral if possible.)
  • Gift Certificates / Gift Cards / Discount Cards
  • Cash donations to be used solely for this project
  • Other: __________________ (What can you offer that might bring them light and hope?)

If you can help us, please respond by contacting (867) 333-9052 or aaron@mountainviewwhitehorse.ca. We want to ensure that all items are acquired and ready for our packing team by January 10th, to be distributed to those in need in mid-January.


Thank you for helping us bring Light to the North!


Sincerely,

Aaron Mones

Pastoral Apprentice and Director of Outreach

Mountainview Church

Sunshine Cookies-In-A-Jar

Tired of shovelling? Need something fun to do? Want to make a difference in your community? To be part of something bigger than yourself?


Mountainview Church is preparing “Boxes of Light” to encourage Yukoners in the darkest season. We are in need of baking ingredients to assemble “Sunshine Cookies in a Jar” for each of the 250 boxes we plan to give away. We will be packing the “Cookie Jars” on Saturday, January 15 at Mountainview Church.

If you want to get involved by donating any of the following items, please contact Nicole Norton (867) 332-7524 or Karalee Johnson (867) 334-3954. If you are unable to shop for these items but would still like to donate, visit MountainviewWhitehorse.ca/GIVE or eTransfer to finance@mountainvewwhitehorse.ca, and enter “boxes of light” in the memo field.


Ingredients for “Sunshine Cookies in a Jar”:

  • 5 – 10 kg bag All Purpose Flour

  • 4 – 450g container Baking Powder

  • 1 – 2 kg box Baking Soda

  • 1 – 1 kg box Salt

  • 14 – 2.25 kg bag Large Flake Oats

  • 28 – 1 kg bag M&Ms

  • 18 – 2 kg bag Chocolate Chips

  • 21 – 1 kg bag Brown Sugar

  • 3 - 10 kg bag White Sugar

Thank you for your generosity!


Nicole Norton & Karalee Johnson