ST. PAUL - Donations are still being accepted for this year's Christmas food hampers and Santa's Elves toy drive, but the deadline for submissions to the program for those who are in need is coming up quickly.
The last day of intake for those who would are in need of a hamper is Dec. 14, says Lynn Smid, director of the Town of St. Paul FCSS department. The Town of St. Paul FCSS and County of St. Paul and Elk Point FCSS departments took over organizing the food hampers from the Knights of Columbus for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The FCSS staff are working alongside the Santa's Elves' volunteers at the St. Paul Regional High School, who organize a toy drive each year.
"People still do have time to get those donations in," says Smid.
Due to recent measures that have been introduced to help slow the spread of COVID-19, extra volunteers will not be able to offer a helping hand, since everything will be kept within the organizations' cohorts. That means the hampers will be assembled by the FCSS team, with Cornerstone Co-op offering help on the food side.
The Santa's Elves normally includes help and support by students who wrap gifts leading up to Christmas, but due to students in Grades 7 to 12 shifting to at-home learning in late November, that won't be possible this year.
For those who would like to donate to the food hampers, cheques are still being accepted at Cornerstone Co-op. Monetary donations to the Santa's Elves are being accepted by etransfer to [email protected] . A focus on monetary donations is being taken this year, to reduce the number of people handling items and overall interactions.
For those who will be receiving a hamper, which includes a gift for each child in the household from the Santa's Elves and more than enough food for a Christmas meal, pick-up will take place on Dec. 21 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Pick-up will be the only option, and no deliveries will be made this year.
A drive-by style pick-up will take place, explains Smid. People will drive up to the St. Paul Rec. Centre, then organizers will load the hampers into their vehicles and wave.
When asked about the demand for the program being seen this year, Smid says it appears that numbers are looking pretty stable, but the FCSS office has been very busy taking phone calls over the past few days with additional submissions coming in. For more information, call the Town of St. Paul FCSS office at (780) 645-5311.
