Six local non-profit organizations are kicking off the 14th year of the Christmas Hope campaign in Lethbridge, ensuring everyone needing support over the holiday season can access it.
The campaign is a collaboration between the Lethbridge Food Bank, Interfaith Food Bank, The Salvation Army, Lethbridge Family Services Angel Tree, MyCityCare Shop of Wonders and Volunteer Lethbridge, as they work together to assist roughly 3,500 adults and 6,500 kids over the holidays through providing gifts for kids along with food hampers.
Lethbridge Foodbank Program and Volunteer Co-Ordinator Denille Tizzard says the partnership between the community groups is a great collaboration because it helps ensure those in need in our community can have a well-rounded Christmas.
“It is a great collaboration because not only can we help individuals by providing food but we also help families through toys, through other Christmas items,” Tizzard says. “We are really looking forward to working with each agency as well as looking towards the community to do some donation drives to make sure that each agency has enough to give to all of the families, children and single people out there.”
Tizzard adds on the food bank side of the program in Lethbridge, the top items they need include holiday staples such as turkeys, hams or chickens along with stuffing mix and canned foods such as pickles and cranberries.
“We are looking for canned foods, canned fruits, canned vegetables, soups; along with cereals. But for the Christmas hampers, we are looking for high-ticket items.”
Along with the need for donations, the need for volunteers is also a very real item on these organization’s lists. Tizzard says, Volunteer Lethbridge is a true support in filling this need, a statement echoed by Salvation Army Lieutenant Zach Marshall. Marshall says the organization’s main initiative during the holiday season is the Toys for Tots campaign which provides toys to roughly 500 kids in the community. However, outside of the toy initiative the Salvation Army also runs the Kettle campaign that raises money that will not only support Toys for Tots but the work the group does throughout the rest of the year. He says this year nearly half the volunteer hours for the kettle campaign have been filled.
“It is a great place to be at this point in the game, but we still have over 200 two-hour shifts to fill,” Marshall says.
When it comes to the Christmas Hope campaign, he says it is a great way to not only come together but also “spread the wealth.” By coming together as community agencies it sets the precedence this work does not need to be done alone.
“We are one unified force in Lethbridge to effect change at Christmas time.”
To coincide with the Christmas Hope Campaign launch, Mayor Blaine Hyggen was on hand to light the Christmas tree in the foyer of city hall. Hyggen says incorporating the campaign’s kick-off with the tree lighting is just one way to bring everyone together and not only mark the beginning of the holiday season but highlight the work groups across the city are doing during the holidays.
“We come together when we need to and we have the most incredible volunteers and you see it each and every year,” Hyggen says.
Throughout the city, there will be different donation bins set up for the food banks and the various present programs. All the information about the city-wide campaign can be found on the Christmas Hope website.
