Westman non-profit seeks more volunteers as demand for food hampers eclipses last year's total

Volunteers with Brandon-Westman Christmas Cheer have been handing out joy in southwestern Manitoba this week, delivering nearly 1,450-holiday hampers, its largest delivery to date, to people in need.

Last year, volunteers filled around 1,200 hampers.

However, the non-profit needs help: It's run out of room to keep food stocks and stocking stuffers at its headquarters

The non-profit has called for help from the community of just over 53,000 residents to ensure it will be able to meet the demand for holiday hampers, board member Lynda Nay-Kamann told CBC News.

She says volunteers have run out of room at the Christmas Cheer headquarters for all the hampers that remain.

"The community always is wonderful, they come forth really well," Nay-Kamann said. "There's different companies, single families, schools … just everybody you can think of supports it, and we filled them all."

Christmas Cheer headquarters has filled about 1,100 hampers, and its Adopt-a-Family program has so far accounted for another 330. 

Nay-Kamann says she's also grateful for volunteers who have stepped up to help at Christmas Cheer headquarters — more then 350 community members of all ages have been on the floor helping prepare hampers. But there is simply no more space at the headquarters.

She says rising number of hamper requests was expected because applications have continued to climb since the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation.

She expects the requests will not slow down soon.

"If the economy stays the way … it's impossible for families to feed large families," Nay-Kamann said. "It is our responsibility to help out the community if it needs support."

Krista Plaisier, Samson Engineering Inc. finance and HR manager, helped organize Adopt-a-Family hampers for her office.

It was their first year participating in the program after seeing a social media post calling for volunteers for the Adopt-a-Family program.

"We had a conversation within our staff group here, like, 'Can you imagine not being able to feed your family,'" Plaisier said. "That's a reality that a lot of people face. So, it … brought us back to reality that this is where we live and this is what people have to deal with."

Plaisier wants other people to experience the joy of making a hamper. She says the more people who get together with friends or coworkers the more needy families can be helped.

In her office, she says, everybody brought two items and together they helped create feasts for four families.

"We have the ability to do it, so I think that it's our responsibility to do it," Plaisier said. "You got to help your neighbour … if you have the ability to do that, then you absolutely should."

The hampers contain foodstuffs such as turkey or ham, canned goods, candy, cookies, fruits and other items, Nay-Kamann said.

"What we try to do is make it at least probably a week's worth of groceries over Christmas," Nay-Kamann said.

There are four different types of hampers available — individual, small for about four people, medium for about six people and large for bigger families.

Nay-Kamann says a key part of the hampers is ensuring children receive gifts and stocking stuffers, such as hats, mitts and small toys, so they feel included in the holidays.

Tyson Brown was on hand Wednesday, helping get hampers to families with his football teammates at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School.

It felt good, he said, because he and his friends knew they were helping out their neighbours.

Brown plans on helping out at Christmas Cheer again next year.

"It's nice helping out knowing that you're not just … getting presents," Brown said. "I can go help other people so that they can have something like this."