The Christmas Hamper Project is ready to help more out more people in Morinville and district than ever before. Last year, there were 109 hampers of food, children's toys and other gifts distributed last year throughout the town and in the Mearns and RiviÈre Qui Barre areas. It was 103 hampers the year before that. The economy and the Wood Buffalo/Fort McMurray fire have everyone expecting this to be the hardest year ever.
The project is a joint effort of the Morinville Food Bank and the Knights of Columbus (St. Anne Council) on behalf of the St. Jean Baptiste Catholic Parish. In order for it to be a success, they rely fully on the support of the public along with other churches, service groups, businesses and generous, warmhearted individuals throughout the community.
Members of the public are therefore asked to donate nutritious non-perishable food items as well as unwrapped, new (or in excellent condition) toys and gifts at the following drop-off sites: Bumper-to-Bumper/Home Hardware, Our Place (Morinville Family and Community Support Services), Sobeys, Scotiabank, Royal Bank, Servus Credit Union, and the No Frills store.
Cash donations will also be accepted at the office of St. Jean Baptiste Church or Bumper-to-Bumper. Please make cheques out to the Knights of Columbus. Income tax receipts will be issued. These funds will be used to purchase meat, produce and other perishable staples for the hampers.
People who are eligible to receive the hampers will be contacted by Social Services. If you require assistance or if you know of someone who does, please phone 780-939-3953 (Midstream Thrift Store) or 780-939-4361 (Town of Morinville) by this Friday, Dec. 16.
Hampers will be distributed on Tues., Dec. 20 at the Rendez-Vous Centre between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Burlesque fundraiser
The sassy performers with Capital City Burlesque are hoping that they can entice a full house crowd of nice people on the weekend while they offer a naughty show for a good cause.
Santas Gone Wild is meant to help Edmonton's premiere burlesque troupe keep its rehearsal space.
"We're a not-for-profit and we do lots of fundraisers for different organizations," explained Taryn Moorhouse, noting that they recently held a fundraiser for World AIDS Day. They also did their part to help out the Movember movement last month where some of the female performers did "magically, miraculously" grow moustaches too.
They obviously have a great sense of fun and an incredible sense of humour. It's not just the costumes or lack thereof that makes their shows so memorable.
"Right now, all the proceeds from this show go back into our rehearsal space, our costuming, our travel expenses, that kind of thing. We all just really like performing so the money goes back into the shows. We all pay dues to pay for things as well. It's not like anybody is getting rich off of this…" she joked.
They are also expecting a visit from an extra special guest during the performance.
As with all of the burlesque troupe's show, Santas Gone Wild is an adults-only affair. Audience discretion is advised.
Tickets start at $37 for floor seats purchased in advance and $45 each on the day of the performance. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. The Club is located at the Citadel Theatre, 9828 101A Ave. in Edmonton. Visit www.capitalcityburlesque.com for more information.
