THUNDER BAY — Christmas Cheer hampers are ready for pickup by thousands of local families.
Hampers are available to be picked up on Tuesday and Wednesday at the CLE Coliseum building between 9 a.m. and 7p.m.
"If you're registered with us, you come between now and Wednesday at 7 p.m., and your hamper will be here," said chairperson Jolene Kemp.
Last year, the program packed enough hampers for close to 8,700 people, and the number hasn't gone down this year, said Kemp.
"We would appear to be on track to very close to that total this year," she reported.
Hundreds of hours are spent organizing, buying and receiving food and other items, and packing hampers. This is all fuelled by volunteers, says volunteer coordinator Lori Kapush.
She indicated that over 500 people have helped throughout the entire process, and she hopes to see the community continuing to step up in the coming years.
"I hope that we continue to see our youth in the community stepping up as none of us are getting any younger," said Kapush. "A lot of volunteers have told me they get more out of this than the clients."
"We're lucky to be in a position where we're on this side of the table this year, as we all know that can change," she added.
Both Kemp and Kapush said that volunteers return each year as a way to help and provide support, including many who do it to connect with loved ones who've since passed away but used to volunteer with Christmas Cheer.
Kemp said that the organization has no administrative costs.
"Every dollar raised goes back to the community, goes to the families. And if there happened to be some left-over, it goes to the agencies that can give it to families over the course of the end of this year and into next year. We're a well-oiled machine."
With its 36 Hours of Cheer fundraising campaign, Acadia Broadcasting raised a grand total of $289,267 this year and $1.05 million over the past four years.
The funds raised this year will be used to fund next year's hamper efforts.
Donations can still be made to Christmas Cheer through this link.
