A Kore Christmas Story

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Christmas has passed. The boutiques in Downtown Sudbury were just purring to life. Gift shoppers – arms draped tote bags – whisk in and out of storefronts, stepping over snow banks as that holiday feeling descended on the city.  

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The stretch of pubs and restaurants downtown were alive, too. The season brought out office parties. Bankers, investment advisors, all with scarves bundled into full-length dress coats, drift in packs along the sidewalk, hold restaurant doors for each other. You could pick up whiffs of Sudbury’s newest fare – biryani, churros, pho – whenever a gregarious group exits onto the street. 

But inside the softly-lit Elm Street office of the Kore Project, a quieter, more focused feeling filled the room.

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Sitting just a few feet away from a Christmas tree, Krista Blais, the Director of Operations for Kore, folds a tidy square of wrapping paper around a plush flannel blanket, tapes the seams shut, then slides the package under the tree.

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It’s the first gift wrapped, ribboned, labelled and intended for the families living at Cedar Place, one of Sudbury’s short-term emergency shelters for women and children. 

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A few days prior to Christmas, Kore staff welcomed a handful of Cedar Place families for a Christmas party here at the office. Music, food, even a visit from Santa Claus.

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“It doesn't cost anything to be kind,” Blais said. “Or to put a smile on someone's face or to create a core holiday memory from their childhood.”

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“It’s just easy to do.”

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The feeling hits a different way in mid to late December. Memories, nostalgia, even something as simple as the wafting smell of cookies or a particular song can elicit deep emotions.

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Blais said one of her own earliest Chrismtas memories comes from a community event in her hometown, surrounded by neighbours, family and friends. That’s one of the reasons she’s here today, putting together kids toys for people she hasn’t yet met.

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“I grew up in a small town called Temagami,” Blais said. “Every year, the Lions Clubs had a Christmas tree lighting and we’d all go on the Santa Claus train. When the ride was done, each child would step off and someone would hand them a gift.” 

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“It doesn’t have to be much,” she said. “It could be as simple as handing out clementines.”  “It’s a little thing, but it’s special.”

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That emphasis on stacking up “little things” runs deep with the Kore team. In between the click-clack patter of keyboards, other staff members join Blais, adding a bit of Scotch tape to presents here, tucking decorative paper over there. 

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More Kore Project staff dart in and out of the office, arms loaded with packages – kids toys, bedding, small gadgets – and deposit them on the hardwood floor around Blais’ makeshift gift-wrapping workplace.

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Soon, that pile of presents under the tree builds and builds. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, here at Kore.

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Arielle Bretschneider, the Kore Project’s National Account Executive, takes a seat on the floor next to Blais and unfurls a length of gift paper measured to wrap a baby carrier. Recently Cedar Place welcomed a mom and baby, who do not have access to the basic things that every deserves access to.

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“I think they're going to be grateful that people are thinking about them,” Bretschnedier said. “Especially in their situations, where they're not expecting generosity or to be thought of, especially during the Christmas season.”

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“And our hope is, as these children get older, or these parents can maybe find themselves in a better situation, they remember the generosity of the community and maybe pay it forward.” 

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The office doors swing open. CEO Andre Lapierre saunters in, a bona-fide childlike grin across his face. A stack of donations practically blocks the hall, as toys continue to arrive.

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“Beautiful, this is beautiful,” Lapierre says. 

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Many of the donated toys come through a Sudbury business owner. The company is called Skid City, one of those nimble startups poking out across the local landscape and whose owners were introduced last year to the Kore Project.

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The company is the latest entrant into the circular economy, purchasing large stock of unsold or underperforming goods from retailers like Amazon and Costco, then selling them at heavy discounts to consumers. 

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When Skid City team members heard of the Kore Project Christmas gift initiative, they bought in, immediately.

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“When I see my team coming together, it warms my heart, knowing that I'm working with the right people,” Lapierre said. “We have the same purpose, we have the same goal.”

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“Sometimes it just takes one action, one beautiful action,” he said. “Just wanting to do something good and letting people do the same.”

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One could be excused if they mistook the busy tech startup’s mission – for today, anyway – as bringing holiday cheer to an imperfect world.

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But it is not too far off the mark. KOREid prides itself on giving voice to those on the periphery, making sure everyone is heard. Community is also a major theme of the company’s playbook.

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It seems the values of involvement, care and kindness are hardwired into the KOREid system. And everyone contributes.

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Or as Lapierre, who’s led the company since its inception in 2023, says “when the team contributes together, it’s a beautiful thing.”

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How this initiative came is kind of a story in itself. Lapierre doesn’t go into too much detail about his connection to Cedar Place. He doesn’t have to. But every year Lapierre loads up gifts and gadgets and food and delivers it to the shelter.

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“There's kids out there that just might not have a Christmas at all,” Lapierre said. “And that could be traumatic.”

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“They see all their friends experiencing Christmas, and they just don't get to. I don't think we could ever do enough, but if we could do something, even if it’s a little, you know, it's the least we can do.” 

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