Hamper funds confusion

Times Reporter 

 

A request for the Strathmore and District Christmas Hamper Society was made to town council at the Sept. 4 regular council meeting. The society has been receiving funds from Wheatland County for a number of years to help support the hamper program. 

The funds, which equaled $5,000, have been used in the past to purchase turkeys and hamper items for residents of Strathmore, Wheatland County and surrounding communities. 

The Christmas Hamper Society requested a grant from the town in the amount of $2,700 to be able to purchase items for the hampers for the society.  

There was some confusion at the council meeting as to whether the county would still be involved in helping support the program. 

It was suggested that the $5,000 be split with 46 per cent covered by the county and the remaining 54 per cent be granted through the town because of the participation from the two different areas. 

Town council was unclear whether the county would indeed still be contributing to the program.  

A decision for the $2,700 grant was put off until clarification was given by Wheatland County. 

“We have every intention of contributing for that and forwarding any food donations or anything else that would come in,” said Lynn Walker, program coordinator for Wheatland Family and Community Support Services (WFCSS). 

She clarified that what had happened previously was WFCSS did a lot of administrative help for the program before the town formed it’s own FCSS office.  Now WFCSS is no longer providing the administrative portion, but Walker said the county still has every intention of supporting the program because it is a definite need for the residents. She said the funding is not coming from WFCSS, but is coming from the county of Wheatland. 

The request for funding will return to the Sept. 18 regular town council meeting for a decision.