Pam Welter (centre), manager of the Kindersley branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and co-ordinator for the area’s Christmas Hamper Program, stands with volunteers Bonnie and Reed Burton at the hamper drop-off location in the Kindersley Mall. Welter says people are donating to the program and she hopes the support continues until the donation deadline of Dec. 20.
Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
Support for the local Christmas Hamper Program has been steady, says a co-ordinator with the project.
The Kindersley branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) operates the Christmas Hamper Program. The initiative is in its 55th year.
Donations have been accepted since Dec. 1. The program has received good support so far and applications are now being submitted.
“The donations have been coming in steady, and so have the applications,” said program co-ordinator Pam Welter, the manager of the local CMHA branch. She encouraged people to continue donating because there’s a strong need for food security.
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She estimated that there could be a need for up to 150 hampers, so more donations will be needed to meet the demand.
The drop-off location for donations is in the Kindersley Mall and the location is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday to Friday, depending on the availability of volunteers.
Welter said volunteers will also be at the mall this Saturday to accept donations. The CMHA is holding a bake sale at the mall on Dec. 14 and 15 to support the program.
Donations of food items and money will be accepted until Dec. 20, and the hampers will be handed out on Dec. 21. The deadline for applications is Dec. 18, and they are available at the drop-off location in the mall, Salvation Army thrift store, West Central Crisis and Family Support Centre and Spokes – the Kindersley Family Resource Centre.
You can contact Welter at 306-463-8052 if you have a larger food donation and want to make sure someone is at the drop-off location, or to get more information about donations or applications. People in smaller communities are encouraged to call if they need a hamper.
The co-ordinator said food that’s past its best-before date won’t be packed into the hampers, so people are asked to check for the dates before they donate the food. Food ends up in the garbage if it’s past its best-before date.
People are also reminded to make any cheques out to the Canadian Mental Health Association. Cheques have been made out to the food bank in the past, but the food bank does not provide food security in December.
Tax receipts are available for donations of $50 or more. The Salvation Army supplies the turkeys for the hamper program, and the West Central Crisis and Family Support Centre supplies toys for children whose families receive a Christmas hamper.
You can also contact Welter if you would like to volunteer.
The program has received a lot of soup, instant noodles, and macaroni and cheese, so they need fewer of those items in the coming days. Welter said the program is quite low on pasta sauce, as is often the case.
Items that are in low supply include peanut butter, jam, cheese spread, juice, pasta and sauce, pancake mix and syrup, coffee, tea, dressings, condiments, baking supplies such as cake mixes, flour and sugar, and cereal for kids. Welter said the supply of corn flakes and oatmeal is abundant.
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