A 10-year-old boy from rural New Brunswick has been a busy little elf.
Preston MacLaren of Colpitts Settlement, N.B., said he has spent the last few weeks working away in his grandfather’s workshop on a project aimed to bring smiles to seniors who may be feeling lonely amid the pandemic.
“There is not much good happening right now and I wanted to spread some good,” said MacLaren, who is learning his woodworking skills from his grandfather, Jim Tingley.
Tingley describes his grandson as “very thoughtful, thinking of other people before himself.”
The pair handcrafted 30 birdhouses and delivered them to seniors living in Salisbury, N.B., on Monday.
“My heart melted,” said Tingley, thinking about helping his grandson complete such a kind gesture.
Knowing seniors were cooped up in their homes with little contact with family and friends amid the pandemic, Preston said he simply wanted to help them feel less lonely.
With a little help from his grampa, Preston took the lead and carefully constructed each house by hand and signed one, including the year it was made, which has been hard on this small community’s most vulnerable Tingley said.
The pair hand-delivered the birdhouses to unsuspecting seniors on Monday and were greeted by many with thank yous and smiles.