By Trevor Greenway
Local Journalism Initiative
The big jolly man is starting his naughty and nice lists early this year, and he will be checking it at least twice at the Pepper Pod Veteran Holiday Market on Nov. 24.
And while Santa Clause’s appearance will be a highlight at the Pepper Pod Market, the real stars of the show will be the vendors – all of them families of veterans.
“It’s a very small market,” said Pepper Pod executive-director Cathy Priestman, referring to the five or so vendors that will be set up in the Pepper Pod’s new outdoor classroom, which gets a fairytale treatment on market day with lights and a cozy atmosphere with its central stone fireplace.
The Pepper Pod is a retreat centre in Chelsea for women veterans.
And while the main market is a small event for the centre, Priestman said there’s a lot more shopping to do at the retreat during their holiday market.
“In the She Shed, we have items from over 30 different military or veteran community members,” she said. “So everything that we will have for sale is either from a veteran family, a serving military family or kids thereof or military spouses.”
Chelsea’s Pepper Pod has been offering women veterans a safe place to settle back into their home lives after serving in conflicts overseas. Priestman said the Pod is an important part of the transition back into regular life after serving a tour in the military or RCMP.
“The Pepper Pod is important because we help women veterans, military spouses and veterans from the RCMP transition out of the military into the very next exciting phase of their life,” said Priestman. “This is an open house and holiday market. And it’s a great opportunity for people to come learn more about what we do, and, you know, share the information with their friends, so that veterans that we may not have reached already may have the opportunity to come by and just learn more about what we do in the programs that we offer.”
The weekend market is open to the public, and Priestman said she hopes more than just military families come by to check out some of the wares, including candles, jewelry, dog toys, honey and maple syrup, cutting boards and fresh coffee.
“We also really wanted to open it up to the community of Chelsea because Chelsea has been so supportive of everything that we’ve done, and it’s a great opportunity for them to come and see what we do,” she added. “It’s a kid-friendly event. We’ll have s’mores and hot chocolate, and there’ll be tours of the facility, as well as games and a photo booth.”
In 2021, Sandra Perron, Canada’s first female infantry officer, founded the Pepper Pod in Chelsea as a way to help female veterans transition into civilian life. The Chelsea veteran spent 15 years serving in the military before leaving after enduring harassment and abuse from her male counterparts. She started the Pepper Pod, which has brought more than 350 female veterans from across the country through their programs, including their Life Shop weekend retreats, No Agenda Weekends and Beyond Trauma one-day workshops.
“We found that when a lot of women get out of the military or the RCMP, they aren’t very connected to their communities because they’ve been moving so much,” added Priestman. “Serving as a woman can be quite isolating. So the Pepper Pod brings women together and creates tribes of women all across the country so that they can connect and have a support network moving forward into the next phase.”
In the military, to “pepper pod” means to cover your team while advancing toward an enemy and that’s the entire mantra of the Chelsea non-profit. The Pepper Pod Holiday Veteran Market runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 24, located at 35 Ch. Nordik in Chelsea. For more information, visit them online at www.pepperpod.ca. The event is free for everyone.