The St. Albert Kinettes found some good fortune and made some excellent new friends and just in time for the service club's 55th annual Christmas Hamper campaign to be capped off. In the last week or so before those 270 special deliveries were made on Sunday, Dec. 12, the club was still pining for a place to called Hamper Home. Without a sizable enough space, how could their volunteers manage to spread out and box up their donated bounty of toys and food?
That's when Ken Shebib of the Thirsty Rooster Trail Eatery and Bar intervened. He offered them vacant store space elsewhere that fit the bill and just before the Fill-a-Bus event, too.
"He really went all out for us, and I would say saved Christmas hamper," said Tracy Nadiger, one of the co-chairs of the campaign, noting that team members were in tears with the generosity.
Just after the Fill-a-Bus, local realtor Brian Cyr also stepped forward to make a substantial donation of his own. He purchased 250 turkeys worth about $6,000 to help put some weight on the hampers' scale. The Kinettes expressed their deep gratitude to him as well.
On social media, the Kinettes also sent a hearty and huge thanks to Jennifer Belcourt and Trevor Belcourt from the Jade Village restaurant at Village Landing, who provided food for the Kinettes' volunteers as they worked at the hamper home one night last week.
Shoebox Project carries on virtually
This is a season of giving and what gift could be better than helping those who have no home?
For that reason, the Shoebox Project soldiers on. Despite the pandemic and all its corollary restrictions, the campaign to support Canadian women impacted by homelessness offers them virtual gifts in the form of donations and gift cards. In fact, for Dec 6 to 12, all donations were matched by Allstate (up to $25,000), with funds directly going to local chapters and shelters serving Indigenous women in remote regions.
The partnership between the project and Allstate has provided more than 6,500 shoeboxes to women over the past few years.
The campaign continues. Visit www.shoeboxproject.ca/home for more details.
12 Days of Giving needs your help
Add one more Christmas gift to your shopping list … that’s all the Mustard Seed is proposing for its 12 Days of Giving campaign, which started on Sunday, Dec. 12.
The campaign is meant to help and spread hope to those who are alone, hungry, and cold this Christmas. The Mustard Seed's list highlights some much-needed items in high demand this holiday season. The items range from coffee cards to winter wear to personal hygiene products, and more.
The drop-off location is at The Mustard Seed Community Support Centre, 10568 114 St. in Edmonton, at the rear side of the building. Its hours of operation are Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For details visit www.TheSeed.ca/12days.
Kettle update
The latest tally released on Monday, Dec. 13 showed that the Salvation Army's Christmas Kettles have surpassed $205,000, which puts the campaign over the 50-per-cent marker toward its goal of raising $400,000.
You can still make your donations to help the church support its programs by visiting kettle stations at Pearson's Your Independent Grocer, Superstore, St. Albert Centre, Safeway, Walmart, Save On Foods at Village Landing, and Costco. If you don't have cash to give, all kettles are now equipped to accept tap payments from your debit or credit cards.
The campaign runs until Dec. 24.
Scouts on tree duty again
If you're still on the hunt for a good tree, this is the last week to catch the 1st St. Albert Scouts' sale at the Enjoy Centre. They have premium grade balsam fir Christmas trees shipped from the Maritimes. The sale runs weekdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on the last day Sunday, Dec. 19, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Contact Adam at 780-722-7217 or email [email protected]. Visit 1st-st-albert-scouts.square.site for more information.
DQ locations surpass $1M
Dairy Queen Canada recently recognized St. Albert's Marc Cardinal along with Edmonton's Scott Fylyshtan. The two are co-owners of multiple DQ locations in the capital city. Together, those locations have reached a major milestone in fundraising for the Stollery Children’s Hospital.
Through multiple initiatives such as Miracle Treat Day, the Balloon Campaign, the Funding Innovations Easel Art program, and others, those restaurant locations recently tabulated their collections at $1,017,777.38 for the sick and injured children in need of treatment and care at the world-class facility.
