THUNDER BAY — Employees at Tbaytel love to give back during the holiday season.
On Friday, several staff members of the publicly owned utility made their way to the Dew Drop Inn, helping to launch the 10th annual Tbaytel 12 Days of Christmas campaign, where they both purchased and helped prepared a lunch-hour meal for the soup kitchen’s clientele.
Spokesman Jamie Smith said the 12 Days of Giving is an event Tbaytel employees look forward to every year.
“We’re always looking to give back in the spirit of the season. This is one of our favourite times of the year at Tbaytel. Last year we had 88 of our employees volunteer giving out gifts and making big donations — just as much generosity and spirit as we can throughout the 12 days,” Smith said.
It’s one of those things where a little kindness goes a long way, he added, pointing to a gas giveaway last year that brought with it some unexpected reactions.
“We always hope for a bit of a ripple effect when we do these things, just to put a smile on someone’s face,” Smith said. “Last year we gave out free gas and we were getting hugs and tears and cheering. It may not be a huge financial contribution, but in terms of giving back to the community, it’s invaluable.”
Tbaytel employees were joined by students from St. Patrick High School’s Clover Café, who were handing out homemade treats and helping with meal preparations too.
“They were one of the recipients of our $10,000 grants through our Tbyatel Community fund last spring. It’s so great to see smiling faces and being able to give back to people in need,” Smith said.
Over the next 11 days, Tbaytel employees will be popping up throughout the city, though Smith said they’re keeping their plans close to their vests.
“I will say, if you happen to see someone dressed like me in the Tbaytel blue and a toque on anywhere you might be, good things are probably going to come your way,” he said.
