Organizers of the Christmas Hope campaign with Lethbridge mayor Chris Spearman during the event's kick-off on Monday, November 16. (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

2020 Christmas Hope campaign provides holiday joy to 5,808 people across the region

Jan 4, 2021 | 10:39 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Christmas Hope campaign proved to be a great success over the 2020 holiday season.

The initiative is a yearly collaboration between the Lethbridge Food Bank, Salvation Army, Lethbridge Family Services Angel Tree, My City Care Shop of Wonders, and the Interfaith Food Bank. It provides food hampers to families in need and bundles of toys to ensure kids have something special under their tree on Christmas morning.

For Christmas 2020, a total of 1,156 households received food hampers complete with all the holiday fixings. 4,448 children received toy bundles as well.

In all, 1,360 adults and 4,448 children were assisted through the Christmas Hope campaign.

“All agencies altered their distribution this year to accommodate procedures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and implement safety precautions for recipients, staff, and volunteers,” read a statement from the participating organizations.

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“Streamlining registration procedures allowed the collection of agencies to increase the quality of support provided to local families, while also limiting duplication of services, thus maximizing the resources generated from our community.”

The agencies noted that this was particularly helpful for toy distribution, as families received gifts for children from only one organization this year.

Michelle Gallucci with Lethbridge Family Services said the campaign ‘embodies the spirit of community involvement’.

“What we wish for each of us this year and the next, in our personal, professional and volunteer lives, is to keep the idea of positive change and caring for those who need hope, front and centre in all we do,” she said.

“We have had an exceptional year serving our local communities across Southern Alberta. We saw a drastic increase in the number of people accessing our programs all across our Shop of Wonders locations,” added Jen Tribble with My City Care Shop of Wonders.

Katherine Kuzminski with The Salvation Army said 2020 provided a lot of challenges for the campaign, mostly because of the pandemic, but they’re grateful for the continued support of donors and “cherish the thoughts of all the children who celebrated with the excitement of opening their gifts on Christmas morning”.

“COVID-19 came very unexpectedly and brought with it added stress and unpredictability,” added Maral Kiani Tari, executive director at the Lethbridge Food Bank.

“This year more than ever, our Christmas Hope agencies needed to ensure that we find ways to support individuals and families who are struggling safely. This was all only possible with the support of our incredible community, who gave generously.”

Executive director with Interfaith Food Bank, Danielle McIntyre said working in partnership year after year yields great results.

“When each agency can focus on what they do best, we are really able to stretch our resources, and we are able to provide a more consistent and festive experience for those we serve.”

This year marked the 14^th annual Christmas Hope campaign. More on the seasonal initiative can be found here.