Christmas hampers in review

By Sharon McLeay Times Contributor

hristmas Hamper Society chair, Craig Stone, recapped for Wheatland County council the success of the 2018 Christmas hamper program.
He stated there were 245 food hampers sent out. The value of food given out was about $106,000.
There were 272 bags of toys given out, 149 for boys and 133 for girls. In 2018, toy donations were down about five per cent. The bags include clothes and hygiene products and cost about $140 a bag.
“This seems to be a pretty even standard for the campaign and will be the target for 2019 as well,” said Stone.
He commented on the growing trend of single person households. He said there were 54 this year. The society made a decision to alter its hamper family-size categories so single person households could be included.
“It is going to allow us to have a more fair and even distribution of the products to those groups,” said Stone.
He said the shuffle wouldn’t impact the overall amount of food or money needed to meet their goals.
He said the types of donations vary from year to year. The society has also decided to change some of the food items and are including ground beef and condiments in the baskets.
He expressed the society’s thanks to Sobeys grocery store for the discounts on the goods bought for the food hampers, as the cost of food had increased by about $18,000.
The food donations were down about 20 per cent for 2018. The cash donations were down about $18,000, but toy donations were up by 30 per cent.
The society moved into the 21st century this year, with the hiring of a communications coordinator, and they established a website, christmashampersociety.com.
“We were very happy about the end result and how much the website was used and tagged for us,” said Stone. “We see this as being a great tool for us to use in the future, because it is going to allow us easier access to donations, and for people who want to come and spend time, there is all the information on the website how to volunteer.”
They also utilized radio advertising this year. They are now using e-transfers with their banking exchanges and a secured credit card to track purchases. The board is going through an update to job descriptions which will allow smoother transitions for staff changes or illnesses.
They are coordinating with Wheatland County food bank storage, allowing them to use any overages.
“It allows us to take all the stored food throughout the year and we start with fresh goods each year,” said Stone.
They also worked on building a better budgeting system. They have reduced their cash and assets down to approximately $45,500. The Dec. 31 balance had $8,000 left in the bank, which was used to pay the bills coming in for the new year. Stone said often tax time brings in donations, so by tracking their cash flow, they had a better sense of where and when money was flowing for the organization.
The distribution of delivery throughout the county was listed: Hussar-8, Rockyford/Nightingale-9, Wheatland County rural-7, Strathmore-181, Standard-5, Gleichen-23, Carseland-8 and five hampers were not picked up so they were reallocated to other families.
The breakdown shows Strathmore residents received 75 per cent of the hampers, but the Town of Strathmore did not put any money into the fund in 2018. Wheatland County put in $2,700 last year.
Stone said there were some problems with the processing of the application for funding. The society has approached the mayor, but no information for the last year or the coming year has been disclosed.
“We always seem to be in a pay-it-forward situation,” said Stone. “You never know what you are getting. It is certainly a juggling game for us, so the sooner donations come in, the better.”
The campaign dates for next year will be moved up, with packing done on three days, from Dec. 16-18. The AGM will be held on Oct. 7, 2019.