Online resource helps guide those who want to give during the holiday season and those who need some community support
With many Canadians struggling financially due to the soaring cost of living, more Oxford County families will be needing support to help make their holiday seasons bearable.
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To help, Information Oxford has updated its online Holiday Sharing Guide. providing an exhaustive list of food drives and programs, gift and clothing drives, shelters, emergency help and seasonal community vents.
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Like previous years, the guide is organized around two options. For those who want to “give help,” the guide provides direction on possible avenues to donate time, funds or items. For those who want to “get help,” the online guide offers extensive information about programs offered by local community organizations, charities and churches.
“We are entering this holiday season with basic living expenses, like groceries, utilities, and rents or mortgages, at the highest points in years,” Kelly Gilson, the executive director of the United Way Oxford, said in a release. “For many families, there simply won’t be anything left over to make the holidays special.
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“The Holiday Sharing Guide is a resource that lets people know the ways they can give and get help in their community. You can also watch unitedwayoxford.ca for information on local agonies as part of the United Way Oxford’s ’12 Days of Giving’ program and learn of ways that you, your family or your workplace can help local neighbors in need during the holidays, as well as through the cold winter months ahead.”
The guide also includes information about local Santa Claus parades that are collecting non-perishable food donations. This year, the Woodstock and Tillsonburg parades are both being held on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 6 pm while Ingersoll’s parade is being held Nov. 18 at 11 am
With many deadlines and registration periods for these programs approaching, interested residents are urged to check the online guide or call 211. All of the information listed in the guide is available by visiting InformationOxford.ca or by calling 211 Ontario.
The Holiday Sharing Guide is a collaboration between Oxford County, Information Oxford, 211 Ontario and the United Way Oxford.
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