LETHBRIDGE, AB – It’s down to crunch time now for the Lethbridge Family Services Angel Tree.
With just ten days left until Christmas, gift bundles still need to be put together for more than 800 kids in need. However, fewer than usual donations this holiday season have left the Angel Tree shelves fairly empty.
Trina Tymko, who’s chairing this year’s initiative, says it’s unknown right now exactly why donations are so low. In discussions with the Angel Tree committee, she says the best guess is that people have lost their jobs and savings because of COVID, or they’re still afraid of that possibility, so they aren’t able to give, or they have to give less.
Volunteers are working long days to make ends meet, but Tymko stresses that they’re still in dire need of toys for all ages.
“Our 0-24 months are bare, our Lego is bare, our dolls are bare.”
If you can’t get out to shop for toys yourself, you’re still encouraged to donate money on the Lethbridge Family Services website. The sooner those donations come in, the better, according to Tymko, so families in need can have their gift bundles before Christmas Eve.
“These kiddos need us, they need us more now than ever. If a toy, or a book, or a game, or something soft is going to sustain them for the next year, then it’s up to us to help these kiddos.”