Palliative Manitoba is looking for someone to transport and assemble its “Memory Tree,” which provides a space for Winnipeggers to honour deceased loved ones during the holiday season.
“Anyone who’s been to St. Vital Centre during the holiday season will know that there’s a huge tree in front of The Bay each year. That is the Memory Tree,” explained Lindsay Felstead, fundraising coordinator at Palliative Manitoba, a charity that helps those dying and their loved ones.
“The holiday season can bring up feelings of grief and loss and make them much more profound. It’s a safe place where they can come, sit, share their story with one of our passionate volunteers, fill out a card and hang it on the tree in memory of their loved one.”
The tree stood at St. Vital Centre each holiday season for 32 years, until last year when COVID-19 forced the program to move online.
This year, there’s a new obstacle preventing the tree from going up.
Felstead says their long-standing logistics partner had to pull out of the program, so they need to find someone new to transport and assemble the massive tree and store it in the off-season.
She says the mall can provide a scissor lift, but they need a trained operator and about eight or 10 people to help put it together.
The tree is set to go up on Nov. 21 and the organization needs a team in place before then.
Anyone who thinks they can help is asked to contact Palliative Manitoba.