Lethbridge charities begin final push for Christmas Hope donations

The final push has begun for donations for the 2024 Christmas Hope campaign in Lethbridge. (CTV News)

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. — With Christmas a week and a half away, the final push for donations for Lethbridge’s Christmas Hope Campaign has begun.

The annual holiday campaign is aiming to help a record 10,500 people this year.

“We are down to the last few hundred kids left to gift bundle for,” said Dryden Roesch, marketing manager at Lethbridge Family Services, one of six organizations a part of the campaign.

The annual holiday campaign includes the Lethbridge Food Bank, Interfaith Food Bank, Lethbridge Family Services’ Angel Tree campaign, Salvation Army, MyCityCare’s Shop of Wonders and Volunteer Lethbridge.

“With the first week of distribution finishing up today, we are over half of those projected numbers and we still have another six days of distribution, so we expect to meet those totals,” said Danielle McIntyre, executive director of the Interfaith Food Bank.

But this year’s campaign has come with challenges. Currently, Angel Tree is $20,000 short of its fundraising goal.

“The cost-of-living crisis and housing crisis in Canada are being felt by people, so we totally understand that donations are a little bit lower this year,” said Roesch.

“But we're calling on our community to step up and we'd really appreciate all the support.”

The ongoing Canada Post strike is also having a trickle-down effect on charities.

Without the chance to have their Christmas newsletter mailed out, Interfaith has only received about 55 per cent of its $425,000 goal.

“We are also still in need of some of our core food items and that includes the fresh and frozen,” said McIntyre.

“Turkeys, as well as just regular produce and bread for our pick room. Diabetic-friendly and halal-friendly foods.”

While many will hit the stores to do last-minute Christmas shopping leading up to Dec. 25, Roesch says organizations will be accepting donations up until Christmas Eve.

“We’ve had a lot of requests for dolls recently,” Roesch added. “Science kits and arts and crafts are always in high demand and our shelves never seem to be quite full of those.”