Sisters Emily and Sarah Dahlgren launched their charity, A Bradford Christmas, with a very specific goal: to fill 200 Festive Christmas Hampers for clients of the Helping Hand Food Bank this year.
They knew that the food bank would provide all the fixings for a Christmas dinner, and food for the week between Christmas and the reopening of the food bank in the New Year.
What they wanted to do was provide the “extras” – the snacks and treats that make the season festive from holiday napkins, to chocolates, chips and salsa. Each basket will contain at least 17 items – special treats, to make the season extra special.
The Dahlgrens have held a number of fundraisers, from craft sales to Christmas wrapping services, to raise the money for their hampers. They have reached out to local businesses, and have invited the community to help by sponsoring a hamper for $50.
And now that they are in the home stretch, with Christmas less than two weeks away, they are holding one last fundraiser.
All this week, from Dec. 9 to 13, they have set up their table at the BWG Leisure Centre, selling crafts and providing gift wrapping services, from 4 to 9 p.m. each night.
It’s only $3 to have a small gift wrapped, decorated with a ribbon and a tag; $5 for a medium-sized gift, and $10 for a large gift.
And so far, said Emily, the response from the community has been overwhelming. “Everyone in this town has been so supportive,” she said, noting that individual sponsorships have “filled approximately 50 hampers.”
She added, “Local businesses have been amazing. All businesses in Bradford said yes. They’ve been just wonderful, and very generous as well.”
Emily was manning the booth at the Leisure Centre, but admitted that she’s not the one who wraps the presents. That would be sister Sarah, and her mom. “They let me do the ribbons,” she said.
For more information, or to contribute email [email protected]. The teens' charity can issue tax receipts for donations over $25.
