Thanksgiving has come and gone, which means local food banks are now ramping up for their busiest time of year‒Christmas.
Every year The Helping Hand Foodbank in Bradford organizes and gives away Christmas Hampers to families in need.
The hampers are filled with both fresh and non-perishable food items for a delicious Christmas dinner.
“Everything you would want for Christmas dinner and more, with a little extra in there too,” said Vice President of the Helping Hand Food Bank Carolyn Khan.
Items in the hampers include locally grown vegetables–celery, carrots, onions, cabbage and a bag of potatoes; milk, cheese, eggs, fresh bread, orange juice, apples, oranges, cereal, pineapple, instant mashed potatoes; and a turkey or ham with all the fixings--gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce.
The organizing and coordinating of the Christmas Hampers is a lot of work, done by a solid team of volunteers who work efficiently together over a two day period in order to make sure everyone receives their food in time for Christmas.
“It’s a yearly tradition,” said Khan.
One day is set aside for packing all the dry goods, and another is dedicated to adding all the fresh food with everything packed into two large boxes.
“It’s our biggest expense every year,” said Khan. “We try to buy everything from our local grocery stores.”
The month of November is when people register for their hampers in order to have them in time for Christmas Day.
It is also when families register their children under the age of 18 for the toy drive, which is run by the local high schools in partnership with the food bank.
Last year 165 hampers were distributed to local families, and this year, Khan says she expects that number to increase to 200.
This year, the pick up will be happening on the night of Thursday Dec. 19 at the Holy Martyrs of Japan Church.
“On the night that we hand out the hampers, they come to one section of the church hall to get their food, and they go to another section to get their toys,” explained Khan.
In order to receive a hamper containing a turkey or ham, and all of the fixings for a Christmas dinner from the food bank, you cannot have registered for assistance with any other agency.
The Helping Hand Food Bank is located at 123 Moore St. and are open Mondays and Wednesdays from 1-2 p.m. and Fridays 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. They can also be reached by phone at 905-775-2824 or by emailing [email protected].
