Once again the four main local organizations that offer hampers to those in need at Christmas time have put their heads together to coordinate their efforts.
Wanting to ensure no one is overlooked or turned away, the non-profits are offering to coordinate with other agencies who provide hampers to make sure everyone is served equally in the community this holiday season.
Prince George Council of Seniors
The Prince George Council of Seniors is already accepting applications for their Seniors Hamper program set for delivery on Dec. 19 and 20 this year. Since the council only offers this food-providing service annually, all donations made after Wednesday, Dec. 14 will be directly diverted to other organizations that offer food bank services like St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Native Friendship Centre and the Salvation Army.
Applications to receive a hamper for those 55 years and older will be accepted until Wednesday, Dec. 7, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the office located at 721 Victoria St. Last year, 218 hampers went out to those seniors in need in the community and the same is expected in 2016.
This year the Council of Seniors will be accepting donations at their office., which is a heart warming experience for those involved in receiving the non-perishable food items while offering the challenge of accepting the mostly heavy items, which can be a daunting experience as well.
"We desperately need volunteers," said Lola-Dawn Fennell, general manager at the council. "The biggest challenge is that we are working out of our downstairs so we need youth and muscles, but we'll be OK with just muscles - not just in the weeks prior to delivery but also on the delivery mornings because we need to bring the food up the stairs then. Most of us who work here can't do that so we're totally going to be relying on volunteers a couple of times a week to carry the food down the stairs, and then the usual amount of volunteers for filling hampers and on the two delivery mornings when all the food will be carried back up the stairs."
The choice of food items to donate is particularly important to seniors, said Fennell.
"As always, we're hoping people will focus on nutritional, wholesome foods," she said. "We want to fill bellies with all the right things and considering some of our recipients are diabetic or are dealing with other chronic diseases, offering nutritious food is of much greater importance than offering treats."
Suggested items for donation are products that contain little or no added sugar, low sodium, which is less than 15 per cent of the recommended daily intake, low in saturated fat, which is less than 15 per cent of a person's recommended daily intake, and little or no trans fats.
A jar of peanut butter is a good product because it's healthy, a good source of protein and goes a long way, added Fennell. Other suggestions include canned fish, chicken, ham or corned beef, canned or dry beans and lentils, evaporated milk or milk powder, oatmeal or other hot cereals, rice or barley, pasta, canned vegetables and fruits packed in water or unsweetened fruit juice or sauce like apple sauce. Items like Kleenex and toilet tissue, paper towel, toothpaste or denture cleansers are also welcome. The seniors' council does not accept personal gifts or scented products or candles, home baking or preserves.
Those offering large donations could call ahead so attending volunteers can be on location to take delivery.
Gift cards to grocery stores are also welcome. Each hamper has at least a week's worth of groceries geared according to the Canada's Food Guide, including the client's choice of a turkey or a ham, and all the trimmings included in a traditional Christmas dinner. The purchase of fresh foods like carrots, potatoes and blocks of cheese are done close to the date of hamper delivery using donated grocery gift cards. Because the council has no refrigerators they cannot accept donations of fresh foods.
The Citizen is holding ongoing casual Fridays and staff who participate will donate $20 a month to an employee's favourite cause. This month the Seniors' Christmas Hamper campaign will be the beneficiary. The Citizen challenges all local businesses to do the same.
The Prince George Spruce Kings will be accepting donations to the Seniors' Christmas Hamper campaign at the Spruce Kings Show Home located at 2601 Links Drive.
"If someone is unsure of where to apply to get a hamper, any of the four agencies will be happy to guide them," said Fennell. "In a community as generous as Prince George, it would be a real shame if we saw even one person do without."
St. Vincent de Paul Society
St. Vincent de Paul began accepting applications for their Christmas hampers last week and for three weeks applicants are welcome to come to 1424 Second Ave., Tuesday to Friday between 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m.
"If they wish to have their name entered into a random draw for a sponsored hamper people should apply before Nov. 30," said Bernie Goold, Christmas Hamper coordinator and longtime board member for St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Last year the society had 99 sponsored hampers.
"That was really an incredible year for us," said Goold. Most years, there are between 50 and 60.
To become eligible for a sponsored hamper ,clients must do a specific application form. The general information form is a must for all applicants that includes providing proof of address and children's medical cards and then there's the one that's more of a wish list featuring detailed information on children's ages and sizes and what their interests are so sponsors can select suitable gifts.
"That makes the process so much easier," said Goold.
Gifts for teens is the one thing that gets overlooked during the donation process, added Goold. It seems that age group is not easy to buy for. Suggestions are hoodies, movie passes, gift cards to the mall or a department store.
There's no deadline for food donations because St. Vincent's feeds people 365 days a year at the Drop In Centre located at 1220 Second Ave., so any leftover donations will be utilized during the lean months of January through March when Goold said people especially feel the pinch.
Hours to donate are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 to 1 p.m.
"We anticipate a good season because the generosity of the people of Prince George is incredible," said Goold. "When you think of all the agencies and that we keep our doors open 365 days a year and it's honestly due to the generosity of those who support us and keeps us going."
Native Friendship Centre
The Native Friendship Centre has a food hamper service through their emergency resources program that provides food year round and offers Christmas hampers as well to anyone in need. There were 200 Christmas hampers distributed last year and the same number is expected to be needed this year.
"We give out up to 200 hampers a month, as well," said Emma Faulkner, coordinator of the emergency resources program, which is mostly funded through gaming grants and supplemented by donations from the community.
The Native Friendship Centre is accepting donations for Christmas Hampers now and they will be going to the homes of those in need on Dec. 20. The Gathering Place is open Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and donations can be dropped off at the reception desk.
"The best things to donate are canned items like beans, tuna, soups, or pasta, peanut butter, and jam," said Faulkner. "Those items are great because if they don't go into the hampers for Christmas they can be used in the following months when a lot of people seem to struggle."
The Native Friendship Centre sponsors a family and accepts gifts to be included in all the hampers that go out into the community.
To apply for a hamper, people are invited go to the Gathering Place with proof of address - so any piece of mail with their name and address on it - and that's pretty much it, said Faulkner.
"We love giving out the hampers every year," said Faulkner. "A lot of the staff is involved in giving out the hampers and it's very heartwarming."
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is taking applications for food hampers at 2221 Quinn St. Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and along with their identification clients need to bring a piece of mail for proof of address, proof of household income and shelter expenses. The last day to apply is Dec. 1. Those families with children and seniors get put into the Adopt-A-Family pool and additional information something like a wish list with extra details is needed for that.
The Salvation Army takes about 400 applications annually with about 150 of those being part of the Adopt-A-Family program, and the remaining 250 being regular hampers. Distribution for the hampers is Dec. 19 to 21 this year.
The Salvation Army always accepts non-perishable food item donations for their year round food bank and are seeking gifts and monetary donations for the Christmas hampers. All things being equal the Salvation Army buys in bulk to make sure everyone gets exactly the same thing in each hamper.
"Those not in the Adopt-A-Family program will get a hamper of food from the Salvation Army and their children will get gifts," said Terra Laflamme, community ministries worker and Christmas program coordinator.
New toys and gifts for teens are what's needed at this time of year, added Laflamme.
"That's a piece that's really missing," she said, who suggested gift cards for teens so they can get exactly what they want.
"It's hard to buy for a teen," said Laflamme. GCs to the mall or movie passes are always popular and hoodies are a safe bet, too.
The Salvation Army always relies heavily on donations from the community.
"Without the community behind us none of this would be possible," said Laflamme. "They donate money, they donate gifts, they donate their time and we are just super grateful."
To sponsor a family those interested can e-mail Terra at [email protected].
