The Chatham Goodfellows are getting ready to hand out some toy bags and food hampers to the needy.
The group said the toys and food will be delivered on separate days this year. The toy bags will go out from the former Monsignor Uyen School at 255 Lark Street in Chatham on Monday after 5:30 p.m.
The food hampers will packed at the Spirit and Life Centre in Chatham from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m on Tuesday and will be delivered after that. The Goodfellows are asking recipients to ensure someone is home to receive the hampers.
Tim Haskell said the toy packing took place this past week and it was great to see so many volunteers come out to help and have fun.
"A couple of hundred came out for us each night over four nights. A lot of repeats too. I saw a lot of people over and over. They were having fun. They came out, we had some Christmas music playing and they were having a good time packing the bags," said Haskell.
The group said roughly 2,000 volunteers rally around the cause every holiday season.
Meanwhile, Enbridge has donated $20,000 to the Chatham Goodfellows as part of their "jersey day" fundraiser.
Enbridge also has a program that donates $20 per hour to an organization for each hour one of their employees volunteers outside of work up to $5,000 a year.
The co-chair of this year’s employee-led fundraising campaign, Angela Scott, said the employees take pride in their community.
“We are proud as Enbridge employees to step up and help our community and it shows,” said Scott.
The Goodfellows are thanking everyone who donated this year, adding the group continues to be amazed by the community's generosity.
The Goodfellows noted that 1,700 families receive Christmas dinner or toys over the holidays.
"We could always use the help. I'm pretty sure the budget is looking healthy, but we still need that money because we don't know how much the stuff is going to cost. Last year, we spent around $200,000 for sure and I'm sure that budget has gone up," he said.
Those who haven't donated can visit ChathamGoodfellows.ca.
The last day to register for Christmas Hampers was December 2, 2022.
In 2021, the Chatham Goodfellows received almost $215,000 in cash donations, nearly $43,000 in gifts in kind, and had more than 15 local services clubs, churches, and businesses donate their time for the cause.
