A Courtenay teen received $180 in Christmas cash and she gave every last penny away.
Ashlee Pilon, a 13-year-old Mark R. Isfeld student, usually receives cash gifts from her extended family so she can go shopping for whatever she feels she needs. But instead of buying clothes, make-up or the usual technological gadgets most other 13-year-old girls would spend their Christmas cash on, Pilon decided to go shopping for families in need.
"There are lots of families that are not quite as fortunate as some of us are," said Pilon. "So I figured I might as well put it to a good cause rather than just buying things…when I already have everything I need and there's lots of families who don't have everything they need — so that's why I decided to do that."
Pilon spent her money on a selection of neccessities which she plans to drop off at the Comox Valley Salvation Army's Family Services department next week.
She picked out non-perishable food items like cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, cookies and tuna.
"And then I also got some baby items, so like baby diapers, and baby wash and shampoo and conditioner and toiletries and stuff, because those are other things that are quite expensive for families but that are necessary," she added.
Pilon came up with the idea to donate her Christmas cash after she and her friends collected cans of food instead of candy for Halloween for Hunger this fall.
"We brought it to the same Family Services place where I'm going to bring my food for Christmas and I just thought it was really nice, like how appreciative they were — and we got to see some of the families that were there picking up food and items that they needed —and I thought that it would be a good, just a good deed to do for Christmas," she explained.
"I think Christmas is supposed to be more about giving than receiving so that was my good deed of the year."