There are a growing number of Cochranites in need this season but the growing population also means more organizations available to participate in donations.
Cochrane Activettes had a 15 per cent increase in hamper requests for this year’s Share Your Christmas, and member Helen Parnell said new organizations in town played a significant role in keeping the program on track.
“It’s these new groups that are coming through,” Parnell said. “New people (organizations) that haven’t been there in the past are stepping up.”
The number of hamper requests jumped to 239 this year from 207 in 2016.
All of Cochrane’s schools helped collect items for the Food Bank and toys for Share Your Christmas. But Parnell said the donations from both RancheView School and Fireside School – which weren’t around just two years ago – were significant.
“That’s what saved us, that’s why we were able to cope,” Parnell said.
Mountain Vista Law, which recently opened in Sunset Ridge, offered those dropping off food or toy donations at their office an opportunity to enter their name in a draw to win a Family Will package valued at more than $700.
During the hamper distribution on Saturday, Dec. 16, Cochrane Urgent Care donated syrup and pancakes for volunteers to eat that day and enough to be added into the hampers.
However, despite all the donations and despite Activettes being able to provide for all 239 hamper requests, Parnell said donations were still down compared to previous years, though fortunately the organization always receive a surplus of items.
The Activettes also had more than enough internal volunteers during distribution – 35 Activettes plus a handful of husbands.
“It was an absolute wonderful success, thank you Cochrane for helping us,” Parnell said.
Cash donations are right on target, Parnell added. All the cash raised will go to the Food Bank program to buy items that were lacking in donations including grocery cards, meat and oatmeal.
The Cochrane Activettes are still accepting donations into January, which will go toward the Food Bank and other hampers.
