Midnight Sun Drilling Inc. has donated $12,000 to local charities serving needy Yukon families this holiday season.

As well, the Yukon family-owned and operated company is calling on other local businesses to help out if they are in a position to do so.

“The exploration industry has had a pretty good year, yet I am acutely aware that many Yukoners in numerous other sectors of the economy continue to face some very significant challenges,” president Trent Jamieson said Tuesday.

“Between the pandemic lockdowns, the travel bans and now the vaccine mandates, far too many Yukoners have lost their livelihoods.

“So I wanted to do what we could to help out those families who might not have enough food on the table or gifts under the tree this year.”

Midnight Sun’s contributions collectively supported the Whitehorse Charitable Firefighters Society (Share the Spirit), the Whitehorse Food Bank and the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre. In their various capacities, they provide food and Christmas gifts to Yukon families in need.

“We, like many organizations, opted not to have a staff Christmas party this year due to all the restrictions being in place again, so between averting that expense and our general success this year, I hoped we could help some less fortunate families augment their own Christmas celebrations,” Jamieson said.

“I encourage any other Yukon businesses who are able to donate what they would normally spend on their cancelled staff parties to worthy charities, to try to make this dark time of year a little bit brighter for those less fortunate.”

Midnight Sun Drilling has provided drilling exploration services across northern Canada, Alaska and the continental United States for more than 50 years.