Christmas Cheer

Christmas Cheer’s Linda Gambee says she wishes she didn’t have to keep increasing the charity’s goal each year, but she has to be realistic.

Despite surpassing their 2009 goal by $20,000, they spent far more than that. Do the math, she said, and it can’t sustain itself over the long term.

"As a committee we felt it was better to reflect what we actually spend, so we’re not going into our reserves. Last year our goal was $120,000. We raised about $140,000, but we spent about $165,000, so we thought we start with what we spent last year," Gambee said.

Just three years ago the goal was $60,000.

The organization knows it’s a heavy ask in a community hard hit by the recession and the forest industry collapse, but too many families count on the hampers – which include enough food for a week and presents for children in need – to give up trying.

"We fed about 5,000 families last year and we have already started getting calls, as early as April," Gambee said. "So we believe that it’s going to just keep growing. There are more people still out of work and still not back to work.

"But we know the community will bring us through. We just know they will. They always do. Our community is just fabulous."

Though some thought has been given to lessening what’s in each hamper, Gambee said instead they’ve taken a slightly different approach for singles and seniors this year, swapping the traditional turkey for a smaller ham.

That should save some money, Gambee said.

Christmas Cheer is also boosting its marketing image, thanks in part to a local communications company.

Intelligent Design’s John Ongaro said he was only too happy to help spread the word, free of charge, for such a good cause.

"We know that they don’t have the funds that they need to properly promote the campaign as a whole. What we’ve decided to do as a company is put our heads together and our resources together, as well as with the resources of some of our suppliers, to be able to provide the promotional materials that they need, for no charge," Ongaro said.

"That money should be better spent on food and clothing for children and families in our community instead of on promotions and marketing."

The fund, begun more than six decades ago, has also gone high-tech, establishing a website at www.thunderbaychristmascheer.com, to help get the word out.

Hitting the Internet has Gambee excited.

"The website will be used for a lot of things. It will be promoting our events that are going on, our blitz days, our times, our office hours, what types of things we’re looking for in terms of food and cash donations," she said. "But more importantly than that, it can be used for individuals looking up when we start, how they can get their hampers, what they need to do and a phone number for them to contact us."

Donations may be sent to the Christmas Cheer Fund, P.O. Box 10297, Thunder Bay, Ont., P7B 6T7, or at any Thunder Bay branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia. Food drives will be held at local businesses and schools between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15, as well as at the Parade of Lights on Dec. 4. The donation blitz will be Dec. 11 and 12 at the CLE Coliseum building, with hamper pick-ups scheduled for Dec. 15 and 16.

Canned and dry goods donation can also be dropped off at Quality Markets Centennial Square and Golf Links Road locations, at all branches of the Thunder Bay Public Library or at the Christmas Cheer Fund office at the CLE.