Alice’s special delivery
February 24, 2020
To say she’s well-known to local law enforcement might be a bit of an understatement. She ends up at the downtown RCMP detachment at least once a week, and has for years.
No introductions are necessary; staff there call her by her first name. And you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in Red Deer’s municipal policing community who hasn’t had dealings with her.
If it sounds like we’re describing a career criminal, it’s actually just the opposite.
“She just has a liking for the RCMP and wants to show her appreciation,” explains Holly Guenther, Municipal Policing Services Supervisor with The City of Red Deer. “Her eyes just light up when she sees the uniform.”
For years, Alice has been making a weekly delivery to the downtown detachment. Every Tuesday, rain or shine, the Red Deer woman delivers Timbits to staff and officers at RCMP headquarters.
“They all know her, they welcome her, they always greet her very warmly,” says Alice’s friend and caregiver Cassandra Wollf. “They make her feel special. They represent safety to her and they represent hope and power, somebody advocating and being on her side.”
It’s become something of a tradition for staff at the detachment, who look forward to Alice’s visits.
“The members don’t always get the Timbits, because they don’t make it past the front counter,” laughs Guenther. “Whoever’s window she comes to, has to eat a Timbit. She makes them eat one in front of her.”
Last fall, as a way to say thanks for her continued support, RCMP Indigenous Policing Services presented Alice with an RCMP challenge coin, a custom-made blanket and a framed photo of a mounted police officer.
“There was an RCMP officer dressed in red serge and there were policemen in blue, it was a nice, formal, beautiful ceremony, all for Alice,” says Wollf.
Recognition or not, Alice has no plans to stop her weekly deliveries. Although she has some trouble speaking, when asked why she loves the RCMP so much, her answer is simple.
“They’re awesome. They’re my friends.”