Marking their milestone 70th anniversary, the Chatham Goodfellows continue to see the community’s generosity during the holiday season.
Article content
Hundreds of volunteers were involved for Tuesday’s toy delivery and Wednesday’s food packing, as part of the organization’s No Child Without a Christmas campaign, which assists local families in need.
Speaking at the Spirit and Life Centre, Jessica Osborne, food director, said 1,545 boxes in total were collected.
“It’s been wonderful. We’ve had a lot of help this year,” she said. “At least 200 people were in here. This place was just buzzing.”
Osborne noted there was even extra food to go into the boxes, which she said would help with the need.
As part of five generations in her family who have volunteered with the Goodfellows during the years, she called it a special time for everyone involved.
“For me, it means Christmas has begun,” she said. “I’ve been doing it a really long time.”
Article content
Various organizations also took part in the deliveries, including the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment, which assists each holiday season.
Other Goodfellow initiatives had a strong showing this year as well.
As part of the street sales campaign, the group collected $31,475 in donations, up nearly $1,500 from last time.
Final totals for all contributions are expected in the new year. Last year, the Goodfellows spent more than $228,000 to purchase items needed to fill toys and food hampers.
The Enbridge fundraising team also announced a record-breaking total of $48,420 for its campaign.
Enbridge employees and the Fueling Futures program supported 10 volunteer projects, including the packing and delivery, as well as the Porchlight campaign.
Their fundraising efforts included a wine pool, Halloween party and other activities.
Tim Haskell, Goodfellows spokesperson, was impressed with the overall response.
“The community always steps up for us… All the different organizations,” he said.
“The need is definitely a little bit higher than normal. I expected that, so it’s not something that surprises me at all. But the generosity is awesome.”
Share this article in your social network