Christmas Hamper to kick off this weekend

Times Contributor

 

The 27th annual Strathmore and District Christmas Hamper will kick off this weekend.

Starting Nov. 10, a total of 14 donation bins for the Christmas Hamper will be placed at various locations around Strathmore and the surrounding area. The Strathmore and District Christmas Hamper Society has said that food, cash, and toy donations will be welcome.

“We expect much the same rise in need for these hampers and appeal to the generosity of the people in Strathmore and the surrounding areas,” said Society Chairman Dave Collins.

Collins pointed not only to an 11 per cent rise in the use of the services of the Strathmore Food Bank, but also to a study conducted in Ontario which talked about how people in smaller centres tended to earn less than the average wage that those in larger centres earned.  

“That seems to the be case in our area, with most recipients being fully employed but having to make tough choices at this time of the year between paying bills, and toys for the kids and a treat on the table,” he said.

To generate awareness of the campaign, the Society has already run a serious advertising campaign.  

“We have run ads in the local media and have asked people to send donations to certain locations,” said Collins.

The Society also has enlisted the help of all the local schools in the campaign.  

“We have asked the local schools to bring in toys and toiletries, with different items being asked for each week,” said Collins. “We then channel the donations into different huts for distribution to the families.

“The hamper donations are much more generous. The value of food in the hampers is around $400, plus we give a sack of toys for any children the family may have.”

The Society’s fundraising target for this year is $110,000 to $120,000, which is made up of half food and half cash. All of the food will be channelled to the Hamper Society. Distribution of the hampers begins Dec. 17 and 18, and runs through from Christmas to January.

To volunteer for the Christmas Hamper, please contact the Society directly at (403) 934-5335.