The bad news just keeps coming for the charitable sector as the countdown to Christmas continues. While the reported theft from a local store of a bin of toys donated to the Salvation Army turned out to be nothing more than a communication error, the local media has been rife with reports that holiday charities are running short on donations. Yet today is the day we as a community can provide the most help possible by visiting any number of large retailers and dropping off our donations at a city transit bus.
The Fill-A-Bus campaign, created to help keep the 44-year-old Kinettes’ hamper program in food, toys and cash, will run all day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at most major grocery stores and Canadian Tire. All proceeds and donations will then be trucked off to the Kinettes, which is already anticipating increased demand for its services leading up to Christmas. The organization has budgeted for 200 hampers, similar to what was handed out last year, but based on referrals to date and the overall picture of the charitable scene, that figure might grow, meaning the Kinettes will need all the help they can get.
To date, charities both in St. Albert and the Capital region have been swamped with requests while also receiving fewer donations than usual. The severity of the local problem is underscored by the fact the St. Albert Food Bank this year will give out more hampers than ever. The need is palpable but, whether due to the lingering effects of the recession or a sense of complacency, fewer and fewer citizens are out supporting agencies that help those in need, particularly during this time of year when we all picture smiles on the faces of children.
Consider the damage to date, the most significant being Operation Red Nose, a staple in the region for almost 16 years. The program was cancelled this year due to a lack of donated space and resources, leaving drivers who have celebrated a bit too much with no frugal alternative to get home. The Christmas Seals campaign, as reported in Wednesday’s Gazette, is $500,000 short of its $900,000 goal of helping fund the Lung Association of Alberta. Santas Anonymous in Edmonton is 11,000 toys short of its 25,000 goal and the Christmas Bureau has just 30 per cent of the $1.8 million needed to feed 70,000 on Dec. 25. In total, Kettle donations to the Salvation Army campaign are down as well (local numbers were not available at press time). The demand is growing, the donations are drying up and the people who will suffer the most are those the charities were designed to help in the first place.
And yet it is a certainty there will be more than a few iPads, gaming systems or other items with hefty price tags under some Christmas trees on Dec. 25. After all, we want those closest to us to scream with delight when they open their gifts. But is it unreasonable to subsequently use any leftover money, regardless of the total, to help make another child’s Christmas memorable? If the greatest act of charity is to donate without the need for recognition, why wouldn’t we embrace the feeling that comes with knowing we did something to help?
We are, after all, a community that looks out for one another — the continued success of local campaigns such as the fall food drive, the hamper program and many other charitable causes are proof of that. Let’s keep that reputation alive and embrace the feelings of the season today and flood the Kinettes with toys and food and top up the Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettles. This is the one time of year where we truly can make a difference within our own community. Let’s not allow the opportunity to pass us by.
