The local three-month campaign to collect birthday party supplies is shutting down for a holiday hiatus but will reappear in the new year.
According to organizer Amanda Magyar, Birthday Bags for Kids in Need has already been a massive success and she gives credit to the whole community for stepping up to offer their support both in time and in donations.
"It's hard to explain how greatly happy I am and how many kids are going to get a birthday because of the generosity, which is awesome."
Since the program's inception in September, it has collected hundreds of bags' worth of cake mixes, candles and other party items, including some presents. The St. Albert Food Bank has helped to co-ordinate the effort by providing storage space and some manpower to prepare the packaged end products for the recipients.
"Suzan [Krecsy, food bank executive director] has a special spot for it. She has over 1,000 pounds! It's crazy!" she exclaimed.
She started off with a goal of reaching 300 bags but she figures the current tally is well past that number. The members of fire station No. 3 made a surprise donation of 78 bags and last week the 12th Girl Guides troop put together an additional 30 bags.
All of this warms her heart, especially when she hears about how it affects the people who receive the gifts. She recounted the story of one recipient.
"She got to celebrate her son's birthday. They were all so excited about it."
This early success is making Magyar think hard about running the program again next year but she is still working on those details.
People can still make donations at the food bank during its regular business hours. Birthday supply items will be accepted until Jan. 12, the day that all of the donations will be sorted and compiled into bags. The pink donation bins will reappear in 2011 at fire station No. 3, Beaners Fun Cuts for Kids, Sobeys, both Save-On Foods and Safeway locations and Superstore.
For more information, check out the Facebook page for the "Birthday Bags for Kids in Need Campaign."
Reel Mondays reels in library support
The box office returns from an annual film series finally found its way to the coffers at the St. Albert Public Library on Wednesday.
The Friends of the Library presented a cheque for $3,000, an amount that represented the tally from the 2010 series of sold-out films presented at Grandin Theatre.
Kelly Aisenstat, chair of the library board, was elated with the donation as it helps the library to continue to grow and meet public demand for its services. He's also happy that the screenings enhance the social scene.
"Reel Monday … adds a new dimension to cultural life here in our city."
At the same time, the itinerary of the seventh Reel Monday film series was announced. A new batch of five movies from the Toronto International Film Festival's Film Circuit will take place with the first, Made in Dagenham, playing on Jan. 31, 2011.
Tickets are now available for $40 for the entire series or $10 per film.
