THUNDER BAY — The need for programs like Christmas Cheer continue to grow.
It’s sad, but true, said Jill Thompson, in her first year as campaign chair, knowing they handed out about 8,000 hampers in 2023.
More and more people simply can’t afford to celebrate Christmas to its fullest, Thompson said, adding the hampers and gifts they give out to children are a tremendous help to thousands of families, who might have to choose between paying bills, buying presents or putting food on the table.
“The need does grow year after year,” Thompson said. “We’ve seen it grow exponentially from year to year. I think it’s a sign of the times with the cost of food, the cost of living. The number of newcomers to the city has certainly increased the amount of need here.
“There are people who are looking for work and haven’t been able to find work. There are people who have experienced challenges with loss of work. And I feel like we’re still trying to recover a little from COVID.”
The goal of the campaign is to put together a week’s worth of food for each family in need, with canned goods and other necessities like fresh vegetables and bread, along with a turkey for Christmas dinner.
In conjunction with the Firefighters’ Toys for Tots campaign, they also give out gifts to thousands of children each year.
Thompson, who has volunteered for the century-old Christmas Cheer program for more than two decades, said the impact is instantly obvious when the hampers are being picked up.
“It’s a great feeling to see them come in and receive their hampers,” she said.
Thompson said she does want to get the word out to recipients who may be waiting to receive their registration card in the mail, or who have either mailed it back or were planning to before Canada Post workers went on strike last Friday, that they may have to look at alternate ways of registering this year.
“When the cards are missing, registration is missing, it’s going to be imperative that people are going to need to register. They’re going to need to go to the DSSAB office on May Street, they’re going to have to call into their caseworkers or they’re going to have to call the Christmas Cheer office when we start taking calls on Dec. 2,” Thompson said.
“They’re going to need to be patient and they’re going to need to be persistent and just keep calling to make sure they’re registered.”
Last year the Christmas Cheer fund raised nearly $300,000, which was used to buy food for the hampers. During COVID the organization stopped taking food donations.
One of their biggest fundraisers is the annual 36 Hours of Cheer at Acadia Broadcasting radio stations, which this year will take place on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13. There will be pop-up donation stations on site from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
Thompson said Christmas Cheer will continue to use the CLE Coliseum to hand out hampers, but said the days of the week have changed this year.
South-side residents can pick up their hampers on Wednesday, Dec. 18, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., while north-side residents will be able to get theirs on Thursday, Dec. 19 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
To donate, visit www.thunderbaychristmascheer.com, or drop by any Bank of Nova Scotia location in Thunder Bay. Between Nov. 28 and Dec. 15 one can also text CHEER to 807-344-1053 or 807-344-8229.
Last year Christmas Cheer raised $356,000.
