‘I get to play Santa for the entire community’: New Glasgow woman helping those in need with her Christmas giving tree
NEW GLASGOW, N.S. — It started out with candy canes.
Then, gradually, mittens, gloves, socks and toiletries were added to the wooden tree that has been standing outside of Peggy Feltmate’s home in New Glasgow for 13 years.
“I started noticing that there was a need in the community for more than just candy canes. So, I put mittens and gloves on first for the little ones because they’re easier for kids,” Feltmate said.
Read more
Helping those in need
The giving tree was borne out of a desire to give back to the community she loves, said Feltmate, especially this year. With high grocery prices and inflation making everything cost just a bit more, she said she’s noticed that the need is a lot higher this year than in other years.
“It’s one less this to purchase and worry about,” she added.
When asked what inspired her to start the tree 13 years ago, Feltmate said it was originally for the kids, but when she saw their red, cold hands, she had to start including mittens and gloves, and from there, it grew.
“I’m a grandmother. What I do is clothe and feed people,” she said with a laugh.
The tree stays up from Nov. 12 until Christmas Day, allowing people to grab what they need in packaged baggies labelled based on what’s inside. She includes much more than kids’ mittens and gloves, and has started including adult mittens, gloves, hats, toiletries and socks.
She said that socks are a big thing because unhoused people risk getting trench foot if they don’t have access to dry, clean socks.
She added that her home’s location near the food bank is a bonus since it means that people either going to or leaving the food bank can stop by the tree and take whatever they need.
“Everything is so hard for so many people,” she said, “and the need is so great this year.”
Getting to play Santa
For Feltmate, she never did the giving tree to get attention. She doesn’t want anyone to think they owe her anything, so she makes sure that no one sees her put items on the tree – popping out at 6 a.m. to replace everything in the morning and doing it again at noon.
“I get to play Santa for the entire community,” she said, smiling.
She said she feels the tree embodies the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of giving and helping the community.
She has the bonus of seeing the people stopping by to collect the items from her front window, something, she said, she’ll never get tired of seeing, even after 13 years.
“I don’t really think about it because it’s just the Christmas thing,” she said. “It’s the spirit of giving.”
Community response
The response to the tree has always been positive, said Feltmate. She hasn’t had any concerns about people taking too much or vandalism.
“People only take what they need. It’s been up in the community for so long, they get used to it and they know they can take what they need,” she said.
Her work helping the community with the tree has garnered some attention, something Feltmate is surprised about.
The Town of New Glasgow recently did a short video profiling Feltmate and her giving tree, calling her an inspiration for the community. SaltWire reached out to the town and Mayor Nancy Dicks who commended Feltmate on her hard work helping those in need in the community.
“When somebody does things like what Peggy is doing, she’s done it sort of quietly, and when you have an opportunity to celebrate that, I think it’s really important that you do,” said Dicks, “It speaks to really what our community is all about. I was just actually saying to somebody today when things get difficult and times are hard, you seem to get more people coming out doing really wonderful things.”
Dicks added that she hopes what Feltmate does has a domino effect of people helping each other out throughout the community.
The future of the tree
Feltmate radiates love for her community and her tree, and, as a result, she aims to keep the tree going for as long as she possibly can.
“As long as I’m around, the tree will go up.”
