Editor,
The Good Cheer Christmas Hamper Campaign for 2019 went very well considering we got off to a rocky start.
For a few months, we had no idea where we were going to be or if we’d even be able to do anything for 2019, and we were thoroughly blessed to have West Park Mall open a rental space to us, for which we are truly thankful.
With not being able to do our normal hampers, a lot of prayer went in to just how we would do things this year, and we received an answer to those prayers, which worked out beautifully. We had specific gift cards made up, which were supplied by CJ Directory and were to be used solely at Save On Foods. Save On Foods told us that it worked very well.
It took some doing, but 638 families were helped with the gift certificates to buy food, and the community supplied toys for the little ones. Our bill at Save On Foods was $58,541, which is down from last year, but our requests were down also.
We want to say a huge thank you to West Park Mall, Save On Foods, West Fraser Mills and employees, and for all of the wonderful money and toy donations that came in.
Many of our donors have been supporting Good Cheer faithfully and financially for the last 29 years, and it’s awesome to watch all of the businesses, office workers, schools, clubs, organizations and private individuals come in or send in their donations year after year.
Good Cheer has been a learning curve for many school children over the years, as they learn to give to others and expect nothing in return. I myself started learning that 63 years ago when I first heard of Good Cheer, and that is why Doug and I, with our sons, got involved volunteering there 33 years ago. We all loved it and were joined by a team of beautiful volunteers, many of whom came in every year for 15 to 25 years, also.
In those 29 years, 20,236 hampers were given out, and the grocery bills amounted to $1,202,856.50, with probably that much, if not more, food brought into the depot and many thousands of dollars worth of toys given for the children and baby hampers.
These are pretty close but not definite numbers, as they are what I have been keeping track of myself over the years.
We have until October at the latest to figure out what is going to happen for this year. We’ll keep looking for a solution.
Thank you Quesnel for all of your love and support of Good Cheer and to all of the volunteers, past and present, over the past 63 years. it would not have had such a long run without all of the tremendous support and willing workers.
THANK YOU ALL!!!
May God bless you with a wonderful joy-filled New Year.
Dianne Greenwood, for all of the Good Cheer volunteers
READ MORE: Quesnel organization spreads Good Cheer to community with new gift card campaign
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