ST. PAUL - After requiring a shift in how things are done last year due to the pandemic, a permanent change that will see community partners ban together to provide food and gifts for those in need in the St. Paul area has once again fulfilled its purpose.
This year, a total of 191 families received hampers, ensuring everyone has a Christmas meal and a gift to open on Christmas morning.
The hampers are only made possible because of the "support of our amazing community," says Brenda Billo, Town of St. Paul FCSS program/administration assistant.
The Town of St. Paul's FCSS department helps in coordinating some of the efforts - through taking names of families who have been referred to the program, and collecting donations. The three large grocery stores in town - Sobey's, Cornerstone Co-op, and Extra Foods - are key to the success of the food hampers. The stores were in charge of putting food hampers together at their stores, streamlining a process that once included volunteers organizing hampers themselves.
St. Paul 4-H and St. Paul Dodge also helped make this year's initiative a success, ensuring gifts that were collected by Santa's Elves, based out fo St. Paul Regional High School, arrived safely at the Rec. Centre to be paired with the food hampers and successfully given to families.
"Our drive-thru style pick up kept everyone safe and warm. We are so thankful to be apart of a program that supports families over the holiday season," says Billo. Families picked up hampers and gifts on Dec. 20.
