DIDSBURY - With the winter season now well underway in the region, the Didsbury Snow Angels program is looking for volunteers interested in helping clear away snow at the homes of community members in need.
Ryan Shokoples, who is in charge of the local program, which is run through Family and Community Support Services Didsbury Neighbourhood Place.
There is an immediate need for at least half a dozen more volunteers for the program, he said.
“We only have two volunteers right now and they are both maxed out on the amount of people they can take,” said Shokoples. “We have about seven or eight people waiting (for help) right now. Some of them have been sent to paid services because we don’t have anyone to take it on at this point.
“We pass along the numbers of people in town looking for help and then the volunteer sets up the times (to shovel).”
Volunteers need to be adults because they are required to be vetted by the RCMP.
“They are going to need to do a criminal record check because of the nature of population,” he said. “We pay for that check. They go to the RCMP, get it done, and we will reimburse them for that. Beyond that, that is all we require.”
The volunteers don’t need to provide their own equipment, with everything needed supplied free-of-charge through the program.
“If they want to provide their own equipment that is great,” he said. “We will provide shovels, tuques and mitts. They come to us and we buy per volunteer.”
To become a recipient of the Snow Angel program, a senior or other person in need only needs to ask, he said.
“Call in and let us know and we will put you on the list,” he said. “We work with a lot of seniors or people with disabilities. If you feel that you need the service for any reason, let us know.”
Anyone interested in becoming a Snow Angel volunteer or seeking the help of a program volunteer can contact organizers at 403-335-8719.
Carstairs no longer has a Snow Angel program, says the town's chief administrative officer Rick Blair.
