Kenneth Brown
of The Crossroads
Donations of food and money are now being accepted for a regional Christmas Hamper program that helps get people through a stressful, and expensive, time of year.
The Kindersley branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has been operating a Christmas Hamper program in the region for more than 50 years. The program starts today and volunteers will be set up at the Kindersley Mall to accept donations of food and money until Dec. 20.
The program is available to people living in the Heartland Health Region. The health region will no longer exist by name as of Dec. 4, but the program still applies to people who live in the health region’s current boundaries.
Donations of food and money are now being accepted for the Christmas hamper program.
Pam Welter, manager of the CMHA branch in Kindersley, said the donation drop-off location at the mall would be open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. pending the availability of volunteers. If the drop-off location is not open or if donors want to ensure someone is there because they’re making a large food donation, they can contact Welter at 306-463-8052. There will also be a spot at the mall for food donations during off hours.
Welter, a co-ordinator for the program, said 151 hampers were packed in 2016 and 98 of those went to recipients in Kindersley. She said it was a busy year for the program in 2016.
Applications for the Christmas Hamper program will be accepted until Dec. 18 and recipients will pick up their hampers on Dec. 21 at the mall. Applications are available at the mall, the Salvation Army thrift store in Kindersley, West Central Crisis and Family Support Centre and Spokes – the Kindersley Family Resource Centre.
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Donations of food and money will be accepted until the day before people pick up their hampers. Welter said no donation goes to waste because any leftover items will go to other groups and organizations that do emergency food security.
If people want to make a cash donation to the program using a personal cheque, the cheque must be made out to the Canadian Mental Health Association. There have been several instances when people made out their cheques to a food bank, and those cheques cannot be cashed.
Welter said the CMHA will not pack food items in hampers if they are beyond their best-before dates, so people are asked to make sure the donated food is not past the date. She said food ends up in the garbage if the best-before date has past.
People who would like to get more information regarding applications or donations can contact Welter at 306-463-8052. Leave a message for her if she is unable to answer the phone.
Some communities in the region don’t fall under an existing food security program, but people in those communities can apply for a Christmas Hamper. Welter said if people living in the Tramping Lake area need a hamper, they can contact her and she would make arrangements for them to apply for the program.
She noted that the Salvation Army supplies the turkeys for all of the hampers and the West Central Crisis and Family Support Centre supplies the gifts for children. The program applies to all people in the Heartland region boundaries, she stressed.
The CMHA only operates the hamper program for the month of December. Co-ordinators work with food banks and other groups to ensure there’s no duplication of services. Depending on the community, there are different arrangements.
“We do utilize the local food banks and food security committees in the communities, and we utilize their services,” she said. The program only provides everything to applicants living in the greater Kindersley area and small communities with no other food security options.
In Kindersley and area, for example, the CMHA provides hamper recipients with food security for the month of December and a full Christmas Hamper package including a turkey, gifts for children and other Christmas food items. However, the CMHA might only provide the Christmas Hamper portion of the package in communities where other organizations or groups provide the food security portion.
The Kindersley and District Food Bank supplies people with a week’s worth of food for 11 months of the year, but the CMHA covers food security in December and provides the Christmas items as well.
The Lions Club in Eston provides people with Christmas hampers, so the CMHA only provides certain items such as gifts for large families with children.
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