As this year’s campaign winds down, the Elgin-St Thomas Area Christmas Care served over 3,700 individuals with about 1,600 hampers.
And the program saw a significant increase in donations of toys and food. In fact, so many toys were delivered that some were put in storage to be used next year.
Hampers deliveries continue Thursday, with pick-ups at the arena from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Donations given by the end of November were used in the hampers, but donations of funds are welcomed year-round.
No donations given to Christmas Care go unused. Extra food donated has been passed on to the Food Bank and Harvest Hands, while hygiene products have been sent to shelters, the YWCA, and Southwest Public Health.
Christmas Care has seen an increase of 760 individuals served since 2020, with the cost of groceries having more than tripled since then. And the cost to run the program itself has doubled, landing at about a quarter of a million dollars needed each year to continue operation.
Fortunately, the income of donations has kept pace.
The program could not be run without the support of volunteers and donors stresses Christmas Care President, Richard Auckland.
Written by: Emily Ryckman, myFM’s Parkside Collegiate Institute co-op student
