Christmas came early at the Lighthouse.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) donated nearly 400 pounds of wild meat to the shelter on Wednesday.
According to FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron, the elk and wild boar meat was hunted on treaty land across Saskatchewan and southern Alberta.
“Our intention was to exercise our treaty right to hunt, but to also give back to those in need,” Cameron said.
The FSIN is donating over 2,000 pounds of wild meat to shelters across Saskatchewan, most recently in Prince Albert and North Battleford. Hunters from multiple First Nations came together to gather the meat and many were also able to bring meat back to their communities.
“We focused on the urban centres where a lot of our First Nations people do reside and struggle to make a living,” Cameron said.
“Healthy living, healthy food; that was one of our priorities when delivering these traditional meals.”
“We finally get a meat that’s not abundant at the Lighthouse,” Carmen Schick, a client at the Lighthouse, said.
“I’m not the only one here at the Lighthouse that appreciates, accepts and will definitely eat.”
She added many other Indigenous clients at the shelter are excited for the opportunity to share a traditional meal around the holidays.
A donation was also made to the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) students.