It’s been a pretty successful campaign first time out, as far as Amanda Magyar is concerned.
The 17-year-old St. Albert resident and Girl Guide launched her Birthday Bags for Kids in Need Campaign less than two months ago and it has already gotten a gangbuster reception from the community with four weeks still to go.
Magyar is organizing a team of her friends with the St. Albert Pathfinders to do a promotional blitz tomorrow at all local grocery stores from 2 to 4 p.m. They will be out to remind people that they are still requesting all birthday party supplies. The list of items includes cake mixes, sprinkles, icing, candles, balloons, party plates and napkins and anything else like party favours that you would find at a children’s birthday party. Items can be donated up until Dec. 15.
Magyar’s original goal was to get enough supplies to compile 300 complete bags. She’s well on her way, she says, especially with the help of the city’s firefighters and a local service club.
“It’s going good,” she said, recalling how the program got a big boost a few weeks ago when fire Chief Ray Richards put out a challenge to all city firefighters. “They said, ‘We have a surprise for you!’ I hate surprises!”
Two days later firefighters presented her with 78 complete bags.
This week she also received a cheque for $1,500 from the St. Albert Cosmopolitan Club. That donation comes in advance of the club receiving a unique visit on Monday by Jerry Gyrwacheski, the governor of Cosmopolitan Foundation Canada. His address to the three Edmonton-area clubs will also include a presentation of $25,000 to the Alberta Diabetes Foundation, part of a $125,000 funding commitment made to the U of A Diabetes Scholarship Program.
The help doesn’t stop there. Some young citizens have even taken it upon themselves to make special donations.
“This little boy came up and he said he got 20 presents for his birthday,” said Magyar’s mother, Grace. “He decided that he wasn’t going to give them to Santas Anonymous — he was going to give them to Amanda.”
Grace added that a six-year-old boy, who wanted to help out at the food bank, saw an empty pink collection box. “He felt it was his job to fill the box full of trucks. We went there and the whole box was packed full of trucks!”
The Birthday Bags campaign is co-ordinated by the St. Albert Food Bank. People can continue to make donations at the pink collection boxes at both Safeway locations, both Save On Foods locations, Sobeys, Superstore, Fountain Park Pool, Beaners, Fire Station No. 3, and the food bank itself.
For more information email [email protected] or check out the Facebook page at Birthday Bags for Kids in Need Campaign.
