Viktoria Poulin-Gareau, Susanna Tang, Yanti Zhang and María (Mili) Castro gather around a Christmas tree in Place Royale. (Photo submitted by Maria Castro) COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS HAMPER CAMPAIGN: Community effort delivers hampers of hope Submitted by Maria (Mili) Castro, SARCA agent at the Eastern Québec learning centre and member of the Hamper Campaign organizing…
Members of the Community Christmas Hamper Campaign organizing committee pose for a photo during a recent meeting: (back row): Rev. Katherine Burgess (St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church), Audrey Kelly (Jeffery Hale Community Services), Maria Castro (Eastern Québec Learning Centre), Shirley Nadeau (campaign chairperson, Chalmers-Wesley United Church & QCT), Mary Thaler (St. Michael’s Anglican Church), Nectaria Skokos (JH Partners), Alain Patrick (CEGEP Champlain–St. Lawrence); (front row): Andrée Lemieux (St. Patrick’s Church), Lindsay Jarjour (Quebec Baptist Church), Susan Doucet (community volunteer), Elise Holloway (JH Partners), Jean-Sébastien Jolin-Gignac (JH Partners), Manuela Flores Denti (Morrin Centre). Absent when photo was taken: Brigitte Wellens (campaign spokesperson, Voice of English-speaking Québec), Kim Garrity (CBC), Duncan Smith, Derek White, Nancy Boulanger & Julie Le Floch (Saint Brigid’s Home), Rev. Darla Sloan (Église Unie St-Pierre et Pinguet), Ed Sweeney (Central Québec School Board), Chantal Lafrenière (Fraser Recovery Program), Olena Peleshok (MCDC). (Photo by Céline Lebigot-Poirier courtesy of the CCHC) COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS HAMPER CAMPAIGN
Give to the Community Christmas Hamper Campaign and help deliver some goodness this holiday season
Submitted by Brigitte Wellens, campaign spokesperson
The 29th Community Christmas Hamper Campaign is now underway! Please help us “deliver some goodness” by giving to this wonderful community initiative before Dec. 21 in the following ways:
Donate: Write a cheque, give cash or donate online toward the $50,000 annual objective. Funds buy fresh produce and other goods to supplement donated items. You can mail a cheque or donate online using our easy and secure form. Try scanning our handy QR code.
Give food: Drop off non-perishable food at one of several sites around town, including at the Voice of English-speaking Québec Holiday Happy Hour at the Morrin Centre on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Check best-before dates before donating food. No expired, homemade, used or opened items, please.
Volunteer: Help collect, sort and pack food, and deliver the hampers to homes in need.
For details about how you can contribute, please visit qchampers.ca, send an email to give@qchampers.ca, or call Hamper Headquarters at 418- 684-5333, ext. 11835. Follow the Quebec City Community Christmas Hamper Campaign Facebook page to see how the community is supporting this initiative and share your fundraisers.
About the Campaign
Since 1995, the Community Christmas Hamper Campaign has been delivering good- ness to over 200 homes in the Greater Quebec City region at Christmas time. The organiz- ing committee of this huge annual initiative is composed of representatives from 18 organizations from the local English-speaking community.
Heartfelt thanks to you – our donors, volunteers and numerous partners – for your unwavering devotion to this act of kindness toward those in need.
Here are just some of the many volunteers, including VEQ and JHCP staff members, who helped out on Hamper Delivery Day, Dec. 16. (Photo by Adrian Glanvill) COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS HAMPER CAMPAIGN: THANK YOU to the volunteers, donors, sponsors and community organizations who made the 28th Community Christmas Hamper Campaign a success!
Submitted by Rev. Katherine Burgess, member of the CCHC Organizing Committee
And just like that, the 28th Community Christmas Hamper Campaign (CCHC) has drawn to a close. Thanks to the dedicated volunteers who gave so much time to this initiative. This year, over 160 people volunteered a total of 407 hours, which must be a new record. Members of the organizing committee are included among these volunteers, but we must also thank the staff of Jeffery Hale Community Partners (JHCP) and Voice of English-speaking Québec (VEQ) who are invaluable to the success of the campaign. Other notable volunteers included Canada Post employees who gave their time on Dec. 16 to ensure that all hampers were safely delivered. Many individuals and families also came out on Delivery Day to help load and deliver hampers.
This past December was the first time since the pandemic that the committee decided to collect food again. We would like to thank all who donated non-perishable food items – especially the schools that challenged students to bring in specific items each week.
Since we must purchase many items for the hampers, several fundraisers were held again this year. These included VEQ and the Morrin Centre’s joint Holiday Happy Hour, which is always a success. VEQ also ran their “Oh, Deer!” Holiday Dares challenge again, and JHCP held “Ugly Christmas Sweater Tuesdays” at the Wellness Centre. Pictures of these initiatives are on the CCHC Facebook page. The RISE program sold Fun Jars Cookie Mix. There were jewelry sales and a spaghetti sauce cook- off at Saint Brigid’s Home, while CEGEP Champlain-St. Lawrence sold hydroponically grown lettuce and herbs as their contribution.
We also thank our invaluable corporate sponsors: Bo-Fruits, Canada Post, Construction Dinamo Inc., IGA Marché Pou- lin and Nutri-Œuf Ovale Eggs (Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon).
Every campaign has its challenges, and this year was no exception. The shutdown of the schools – including the Eastern Québec Learning Centre where the hampers are normally as- sembled – due to the strike in the public sector presented us with something to overcome. We pivoted quickly and moved everything to the Wellness Centre in the Jeffery Hale Pavilion. We extend a huge thank you to everyone who adapted to this last-minute change, allowing us to deliver goodness to some 250 households this year.
Another repercussion of the school closures was the postponement of the “Pound® for a Claus!” fundraising event organized by Vivian Yatabe. Don’t miss this dynamic Pound® drum-playing cardio workout that will be held Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. at Quebec High School. All proceeds go to the CCHC. To register, visit eventbrite.ca/e/801783846067.
In closing, thank you to each person who supports the CCHC with food or monetary donations or volunteer hours. You are all vital to the success of this heartwarming collective community initiative, and it is comforting to know that we can count on you every year.
Santa Claus (Paul Williamson) and his partner Sophie Desroches (left) greet volunteer driver Kevin Bottaro as he arrives to pick up Christmas hampers (boxes of groceries) to be delivered to recipients’ homes on Dec. 16. (Photo by Shirley Nadeau) COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS HAMPER CAMPAIGN: Community comes together to deliver goodness to 250 households Shirley Nadeau Chair of the CCHC organizing committee Despite the public sector employees’ strike this past week,…
VEQ Holiday Happy Hour a “fantastic” hamper fundraiser Shirley Nadeau shirley@qctonline.com For the past many years, Voice of English-speaking Québec (VEQ) and the Morrin Centre have held an annual Holiday…
Volunteer Susan Doucet (seen here during the 2022 campaign) makes sure there is enough of everything to fill the hundreds of boxes of groceries that will be delivered before Christmas. Other helpers in this photo are Andrew Ayre (left) and Jean- Sébastien Jolin-Gignac (in the background). (Photo by Shirley Nadeau) COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS HAMPER CAMPAIGN: Delivery Day countdown begins
Submitted by Shirley Nadeau, organizing committee chairperson, Quebec Community Christmas Hamper Campaign
It is wonderful to see how community members come together each year to help those who struggle to put a meal on the table, especially during the holidays. The Community Christmas Hamper Campaign, now in its 28th year, is like a well-oiled machine, and barring snowstorms and pandemics, this organization is ready to roll for another D-Day (delivery day).
All the fresh food has been ordered from a local grocery store, sufficient volunteers are on standby to sort the donated food and pack the hundreds of boxes; and volunteer drivers are ready to roll to deliver the hampers (boxes) to recipients’ homes on Dec. 16. Members of the organizing committee have double-checked their lists to be sure they haven’t missed anyone during this season of giving.
Fundraising to purchase the food to fill the boxes is going very well, with more than 67 per cent of our $50,000 goal attained as of Dec. 10. We extend a huge Thank You! to everyone who has made a financial or in-kind donation thus far. We also thank all those who have donated dry goods and organized fundraising events.
If you have not yet contributed to this worthy cause to help members of the English-speaking community enjoy a festive meal during the holidays, it’s not too late. For information on how to help, visit the CCHC website at qchampers.ca.
William Provencher (centre), community life animator of wellness activities at Saint Brigid’s Home, and Saint Brigid’s Guild members Jennifer Hobbs-Robert (left), Yan Feng, Linda Boucher and Phyllis Savard sold a variety of handmade items at their table. (Photo by Anaïs Fortin-Maltais courtesy of CCHC) COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS HAMPER CAMPAIGN: Kildare Christmas Market raises funds for Hamper Campaign
Submitted by Diane Kameen, Community Christmas Hamper Campaign organizing committee
Thanks to the participation of many kind and generous people, the Kildare Christmas Market held Nov. 4 at Saint Brigid’s Home raised $1,300 for the Quebec Community Christmas Hamper Campaign, with the tally sure to grow after the second edition held Dec. 5 (total unavailable at press time).
Sales of honey, jewelry, Guild clothing, blankets, recipes, decorations and much more proved very popular. The mar- ket was also a wonderful oppor- tunity for residents and their loved ones to socialize. This is one of the many fundraisers taking place in the community to support the campaign. To learn more, visit qchampers.ca and follow the Quebec City Community Christmas Hamper Campaign on Facebook.
Jean-Sébastien Jolin-Gignac is shown hard at work organizing boxes during last year’s Community Christmas Hamper Campaign in the gymnasium of the Eastern Québec Learning Centre, where all the boxes of groceries are assembled, numbered and filled with goodness for the festive season before being delivered to recipients. (Photo by Adrian Glanvill) COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS HAMPER CAMPAIGN: Our community comes together once again to turn caring into action Submitted by Jean-Sébastien Jolin-Gignac* it was the fall of 2005, a few months after I…
COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS HAMPER CAMPAIGN: Reflections on the Season of Giving
Submitted by Cindy Joyce Djamen, Quebec Community Christmas Hamper Campaign
Ho, Ho, Ho everyone! This is the most exciting time of the year, Christmas! I grew up in Cameroon. With great joy and anticipation, my family would decorate the house and prepare the menu and guest list in advance. Toys were not among our gifts. The simple acts of reuniting with our loved ones, playing games, laughing and eating our favourite meals together until 2 a.m. were enough.
The best aspect of that time of year was giving back to others. We would buy fresh food and donate it to orphanages. We also made sure not to forget to invite a Muslim friend or neighbour to join us in our home to celebrate the joy of the season. It was all about acceptance and love.
When I arrived at the Eastern Québec Learning Centre, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In my new role as reception, referral, counselling and support project development officer, I was invited to replace my predecessor on the Community Christmas Hamper Campaign organizing committee. In my experience so far, the campaign is wonderful. It is beautiful to see the various religious denominations, schools and community organizations uniting to help households in need.
I called a woman who received a hamper last year to tell her she was eligible to receive one again this Christmas. She told me, “I am in a better place this year. Mentally, I feel good, and although I am not rich, I would like to volunteer instead of receiving this year.” I also had the opportunity to offer a hamper to a father of five children who is back at school full-time. He told me, “Times are not easy right now money-wise, but we can eat properly, so I would rather volunteer to help others who are in greater need.” It was heartwarming to hear.
For details about how you can contribute, visit qchampers.ca, email give@qchampers.ca or call Hamper Headquarters at 418-684-5333, ext. 11835. Follow the Quebec City Community Christmas Hamper Campaign Facebook page to see how the community is supporting this initiative.
I am very glad to be part of this community initiative and to witness honesty, compassion, and understanding for Christmas. I wish you a beautiful Christmas, full of hope.
