THUNDER BAY – Joleene Kemp says she’s worried the general public doesn’t fully understand the scope of what Christmas Cheer achieves each year.
For decades the organization has provided local families with enough food to last a week over the holidays, combining with the Thunder Bay Professional Firefighters and their Toys for Tots campaign to ensure no child goes without on Christmas morning.
“We want to generate with the community a better understanding about what Christmas Cheer is all about,” Kemp said on Friday, launching this year’s $116,000 campaign, a little more than two weeks before the gift boxes will be handed out to families in need.
“Christmas Cheer is about giving the gift of food. I think we haven’t done a good job in the past about that and people have referred to it as something else. So we’re talking specifically about giving a gift box with a week’s worth of non-perishable items in it.”
The fundraising is used ensures each gift box contains a few extra holiday essentials.
“We make sure each box contains carrots, a bag of potatoes, a turkey and we’re adding this year a loaf of fresh bread, so that it supplements all the non-perishable items that are going into each and every gift box,” Kemp said.
The impact is huge.
For far too many families, it’s a choice between food or paying the bills. The need, unfortunately, continues to grow in Thunder Bay.
Christmas Cheer, established in 1924, ensures for at least a week, they don’t have to make that tough decision.
“My phone started ringing in September this year, families who thought they’d never have to do this, but wanted to know a little bit about Christmas Cheer,” Kemp said.
“More people than we know are living paycheque to paycheque and there are so many people that have to make tough choices. ‘Do I get the prescription that we need, or do I buy groceries? We need winter clothes, but what I am I going to have to give up on.’”
Too many families have nothing for their children, who return to school to see all the gifts their more affluent classmates have received.
Bob Vander Ploeg, a retired firefighter who was the long-time chair of the Toys for Tots campaign, said the two organizations have a fantastic relationship.
“Christmas Cheer is an organization the firefighters are really grateful to, to be able to partner with because they provide the essentials, which is the food to feed people at Christmas,” Vander Ploeg said.
“I can’t think of a worse time to be hungry than Christmas and it’s difficult, because food banks are running low and aid organizations in general are stretched.
“The firefighters are happy to be able to help along with that and provide gifts for children living in poverty.”
Among those gifts are 380 stuffed animals wrapped in quilts, courtesy of the Thunder Bay Quilters’ Guild.
Cash donations can be made until Dec. 18 at all Scotiabank branches in the city, the Christmas Cheer office at the CLE, the Chronicle-Journal and Shout media. Non-perishable food items can be left at Shout Media, all branches of the Thunder Bay Public Library and the Christmas Cheer office.
Cellular users can also text ‘cheer’ to 20222 to donate $10 or $20 to the campaign.
Registration for a gift box ends on Friday, Dec. 13. A food blitz will be held on Dec. 15 at the CLE Coliseum and pickup for the north ward will take place on Dec. 17 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The south ward pick-up is Dec. 18 from 9 am. To 7 p.m.
