WELLINGTON COUNTY – As food banks and service groups prepare to provide Christmas hampers for those in need throughout Wellington County this holiday season, COVID-19 is top of mind.
While some programs are simply increasing the use of personal protective equipment and sanitization and reducing contacts, others have chosen to completely revamp their program.
Arthur
Arthur’s Christmas hamper program is remaining largely unchanged in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christmas hamper committee chairman and Arthur Lion Ralph Roelofsen said Christmas hamper applications, available at the Wellington County Learning Centre and the Arthur Food Bank, are due on Dec. 14.
“We’re generally about 55 hampers,” he said. “But I don’t know this year what’s going to happen.”
The hampers will include food items for everyone in the family as well as gifts for the kids.
As applications come in Roelofsen said he’d be adding cards to the Angel Tree at the local TD Bank so those who want to donate can choose a card with the age and other anonymous information about the child they are to buy for. Cash donations will also be accepted at the bank.
The Angle Tree will be adorned with cards on Dec. 1 and Roelofsen asks that donations be dropped off by Dec. 17 at the TD Bank.
All food and gift donations will be distributed among those receiving hampers, and any additional funds, after all the holiday fixings including turkeys and hams are purchased, will be given back to the Arthur Food Bank.
“I’ve been getting a lot of response back,” Roelofsen said of donations. “So I’m thinking we’re going to be all right.
“I was a little worried because there’s a lot of people that didn’t have a very good year, but it seems to be going good so far.”
The hampers will be distributed on Dec. 22 at the Arthur Curling Club through contactless pickup. No applicants will be permitted into the building and all volunteers will be wearing full PPE during assembly.
To make a donation contact the Lions at https://www.facebook.com/LionsClubOfArthur.
Centre Wellington
“The community has really responded to the changes that we’ve had to do because of COVID,” said Centre Wellington Food Bank director Jackie Andrews.
“It’s hard on people … giving gift cards. They’d like to go out and shop, do the shopping.
“I know a lot of people get a lot of pleasure out of going and shopping for our angels, but this year’s just not one of those kinds of years.”
The Centre Wellington Christmas Hamper and Angel Gift programs experienced a major shift this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
First, there will be no Hamper Days this year. Families in need of a Christmas hamper will receive a gift card to FreshCo on their last visit to the Centre Wellington Food Bank before the holiday.
They can use that gift card to purchase their own food for Christmas Day.
The Angel Program usually sees a family in need matched with a sponsor who purchases gifts that are distributed during Hamper Days in the middle of December. This year, the process is already completed.
The whole program shifted ahead about three weeks. Families have indicated from where they would like gift cards for their children, sponsors have already purchased those gift cards, and the families received them last weekend.
“They can go out and purchase gifts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and take advantages of the sales themselves,” Andrews said.
However, she knows there are families that have not yet registered for a Christmas Hamper or the Angel Program, so Andrews said the Fergus Lions Reliable Ford Toy Drive and the Angel Trees at businesses around Centre Wellington will help out families not yet matched with a sponsor
Those programs are also collecting gift cards rather than toys this year.
The food bank itself is also accepting any gift card or monetary donations at 105 Queen Street West, Unit 11, in Fergus.
Andrews predicts more than 200 families will need to use the hamper program this year and about 80 to 90 families will use the Angel Program.
Clifford
Apart from enhanced personal protective equipment and sanitation practices, COVID-19 isn’t changing the Clifford Christmas hamper program much this year.
While the closing date to apply for a Christmas hamper in Clifford was Nov. 16, Clifford Food Bank chair Bruce Shannon said it would still accept applications.
Hampers this year will include all the fixings for a full Christmas dinner and some gifts for children.
Shannon said the gifts are mostly donated but if some kids don’t match well with the gifts provided, the food bank will use donated funds to purchase appropriate gifts.
For kids under 12 years of age the gifts usually include something like a hat and mitts and a toy. For kids 12 to 16 gifts are usually gift cards.
Anyone looking to donate a toy can call Shannon at the food bank and leave a message at 519-327-8588.
The deadline for toy donations is about Dec. 14, but the food bank will gladly accept food and monetary donations at any time of the year.
Hampers will be going out the week before Christmas and Shannon anticipates about 15 to 20 applications.
Upon pickup, applicants will receive their hampers outside as they are not permitted within the food bank building.
Drayton
“The goal of our Christmas Hamper program is to support Mapleton families in need during this Christmas season,” said Drayton Community Food Bank co-coordinator Lauren DeVries.
“It is our hope that bellies are full and children feel the joy of the holidays.
“Although this may look different this year, we hope to be able to give clients the support they need through groceries and gift cards to ensure this for their families.”
Instead of including tangible food and gifts within the Drayton Christmas hampers this year, the food bank has chosen to provide a variety of non-perishable food items and grocery gift cards.
The Drayton Kinettes are also organizing a gift card drive so that parents can go out and purchase gifts for their children, rather than picking out pre-purchased items with their hampers.
“The use of gift cards will eliminate the need for … many volunteers working closely together,” DeVries said, citing COVID-19 concerns.
Volunteers will also be delivering the hampers this year, instead of having clients pick them up, to limit contact.
Mapleton families in need of a hamper can apply by emailing draytonfoodbank@gmail.com or call/text 519-504-2346. An application will then be sent out; it must be returned by Dec. 10.
Food donations can be made at the Drayton Freshmart; monetary donations can be e-transferred to draytonfoodbank@gmail.com or mailed to 74 Wellington St. South, Box 102, Drayton, N0G 1P0; and gift cards for toys (preferably to local retailers) can be donated to The Pretty Penny in Moorefield or Dobben’s Hardware in Drayton.
“We are always in need of school snacks (granola bars, apple sauce, fruit cups), chickpeas, rice, pasta sauce, canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned tomatoes, cookies, cereal, baby diapers and hygiene supplies (shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper),” DeVries said.
Hamper-specific donations are due on Dec. 12, though donations to the food bank are collected year-round.
The hampers will be distributed on Dec. 18 and 19 and DeVries is anticipating 20 to 25 families will be participating.
East Wellington
East Wellington Community Services (EWCS) runs the food banks in both Erin and Rockwood.
Traditionally, the hamper programs in these two communities match families with community sponsors. Those sponsors then purchase the food and gifts for anyone over 18.
The Adopt-a-Family program in Guelph provides gifts for children under 18 years of age.
This year, due to COVID-19, all gifts will come in the form of gift cards. Adults will be able to purchase themselves a present and parents will receive the gift cards to purchase gifts for their children.
As for the food, sponsors have the option to purchase what is needed for Christmas breakfast and dinner or provide a gift card for families to make food purchases themselves.
“We’re finding a lot of the sponsors appreciate the gift card model this year because they don’t want to have to go out and do the shopping and go out into the stores,” said EWCS manager of food banks and fund development Stephanie Conway.
“We still will provide the food hampers as well if that’s what they choose, but we’re also giving them the option to just do grocery gift cards instead if that’s what they want.”
The families have all been matched up with sponsors and Conway predicts about 95 to 100 families will receive assistance this year. She’s hoping to collect the donations from sponsors by the end of the first week of December so that clients have enough time to go out and do their shopping.
“We’re also providing transportation to our clients who don’t have that to go and do their shopping,” she said.
Erin businesses are also collecting gifts. Brighten Up is doing a gift card drive, while MacIntyre Family Funeral Home Ltd. and Village Pizzeria are doing toy drives.
These donations will go into a pop-up shop that Conway is hoping to run the second weekend of December so parents and grandparents can get any last-minute gifts they need for children.
Harriston
HARRISTON FOOD BANK
The Harriston Kinsmen have taken care of the hamper program this year. However, it’s still run in conjunction with the Harriston Food Bank.
Forms are now available for those who need a Christmas hamper this year, explained Kinsmen and Christmas Hamper chair Curt McDonald.
Forms must be completed by Dec. 10 and he said historically there have been more than 50 hamper applications.
“We’re just giving away an entire Christmas meal,” he said. “So, some bigger families are going to get turkeys, some smaller families or single people will get just a ham, but it’s going to be a whole meal … with all the fixings and there’s going to be a few other things to go with it.”
Families with kids will also receive gifts.
To help out the community is asked to make cash donations or toy donations at Leslie Motors in Harriston.
Cheque donations can be made out to the Harriston Food Bank with a specification in the memo that it’s for the Christmas hamper program.
Donations will be accepted until Dec. 14 and hampers will be available for pickup or delivery on Dec. 18.
Anyone with questions about this year’s hamper program can reach out to McDonald at 519-291-0342 or by email at curt@lesliemotors.com.
Mount Forest
The Mount Forest Christmas Bureau is shifting its hamper program on the fly this year as COVID-19 cases continue to climb in that area of the county.
“With the Christmas season fast approaching, we at the Christmas Bureau are gearing up to make this Christmas a memorable one for all, despite the financial/emotional burden COVID has placed on so many,” said organizer Daphne Rappard.
“Our aim is to put Christmas dinner on the table and provide each child with clothing and a gift/toy under the tree.
“We expect demand will be higher than the approximately 150 families we served last year.”
This year the hampers will include turkeys, fresh mandarin oranges, a Christmas treat, gifts and a bag with personal care items and laundry soap for each person.
Various businesses throughout Mount Forest are hosting angel trees, where community members can choose a specific anonymous child to buy for; toy drives; food drives; baby needs drives; personal care item drives; craft supply, hat and mitt drives; clothing drives; turkey drives; and gift card drives.
“We are especially encouraging people to donate gift cards to local businesses,” Rappard said.
For a full list of participating businesses, check out the Mount Forest Christmas Bureau Facebook page.
Organizers are encouraging the community to act early in case there is another lockdown.
Call 519-509-1574 by Dec. 4 to register for a hamper or to volunteer with the bureau.
Donations are due by Dec. 11 and monetary contributions can be made in the following ways:
- e-transfers to Christmasbureau-donations@gmail.com;
- cheques to The Mount Forest and District Christmas Bureau and mailed to The Mount Forest and District Christmas Bureau, PO Box 54, Mount Forest, N0G 2L0.
Contactless delivery/pickup is scheduled for Dec. 22.
Palmerston
The Palmerston Food Bank began seeing increased use of its services in November, surpassing its average monthly hamper distribution total in one day.
Food bank chair Barb Burrows said this uptick may be partially due to Christmas hamper registrations opening up this month, but also because of limited income in the area.
The Christmas hamper registration closes on Dec. 1.
“Then the families will be assigned to their sponsors,” Burrows said.
“And that will give the sponsors three weeks to do their shopping.”
The hampers will be distributed on Dec. 22.
The way it works is the Palmerston Food Bank provides a turkey or a ham to the family as well as other items necessary for Christmas dinner.
“Our hope is that they’ll get several meals out of it,” Burrows said.
Then the food bank coordinates with churches and others in the community to sponsor families and purchase gifts to make Christmas morning special.
This year Burrows anticipates 30 to 50 hampers will be distributed.
“We have a lot of new people, just moved to town, never used the food bank before, so it’s not just people who have perhaps relied on us over the years; a lot of new people,” Burrows said.
On Dec. 22 food bank volunteers will provide delivery or curbside pickup for clients, who will be given a specific window to come and pick up their hampers.
Those looking to help out through donations can call the food bank at 519-417-4774 or email palmfb@yahoo.ca.
