Kris Versteeg hoisting the 2015 Stanley Cup. (Supplied by Second City Hockey)

By David Opinko

NHL legend Kris Versteeg helping families in need in Southern Alberta

Mar 20, 2020 | 1:44 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – He may be a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, but Kris Versteeg has not forgotten his Lethbridge roots.

LNN talked with one of his long-time friends Mallory Kristjanson, who spoke on Versteeg’s behalf about how he is giving back to families and communities in the region that are hurting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even since he’s left Lethbridge to play professional hockey, he has always given back to his community. This is his home town, these are where his roots are and he has never stopped.”

Earlier this week, Versteeg posted on one of his social media accounts that he would be giving $100 in cash to 50 families to help buy “essential groceries.”

Since then, Kristjanson said it has grown into much more than that.

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“Our main focus became the breakfast and lunch program [for] students who no longer have the means to meet their basic needs.”

Within Lethbridge, they have reached out to schools such as Winston Churchill High School, St. Paul’s School, and the Children of St. Martha’s School.

“We have just [given] them some money to do as they please to make sure that families who are really struggling through this time can meet their basic needs of food and then we’ve also gone above-and-beyond to make sure that some kids got learning materials, colouring materials – you know, just things that they wouldn’t normally have at school right now to keep them occupied.”

Schools in the Piikani and Kainai First Nations, as well as Taber, have also benefitted from Versteeg’s donations.

He and Kristjanson partnered with Chef Stella in Lethbridge to assemble at least 15 boxes of food essentials that would be donated to local families.

Although Kristjanson could not disclose how much money Versteeg has personally given to this point, it is said to be a “pretty significant amount.”

She hopes that his efforts will create a spark in others who are able to help to do so as well.

“Maybe there’s a school that has a special place in your heart, maybe you know of your friends’ kids who are struggling right now and you want to give a $100 gift card or donate a few hundred dollars to a particular school, please do it. The students are the most affected right now because those basic needs [are] a human right and we want to make sure those children have food in their tummies.”

Another idea is to contact your local food bank and see what their greatest areas of needs are.

Several Facebook groups have been created in the last few weeks to help people who are struggling right now with health or work-related concerns.

For those who are in need of assistance, Kristjanson suggests reaching out to these social media groups or the one she helps to manage, Connecting Our Community.