This year, Innisfil Community Church filled 70 festive Christmas hampers for families who applied for assistance over the holiday season.
Each hamper contains a turkey, and everything needed for a holiday dinner - from stuffing and cranberry sauce, to onions, potatoes, carrots, oranges and apples, canned corn, canned gravy, even napkins and a box of chocolates each, thanks to a generous community.
As volunteers filled the hampers on Dec. 16, Pastor Howard Courtney had praise for the outpouring of donations.
Innisfil Fire & Rescue Station 2 in Stroud donated 75 turkeys; the extras will be used for the annual Christmas Eve Dinner, free for anyone who is alone, struggling financially or looking for fellowship.
Foodland in Stroud donated the bags of potatoes.
Pace Credit Union in Alcona brought in bags of carrots and apples, and boxes of oranges.
Other donations came in from various community groups, Simcoe County Paramedics, businesses and individuals who made the food bank their charity of choice this year, at office parties and events.
“It’s been the best we’ve ever seen it. We’ve never had such a response,” said Courtney. “There’s a real sense of community here.”
There has been an increase over last year, both in the number of families requiring assistance, and in the response. “All of our food bins are out,” he said – with a volunteer bringing back the filled bins to be emptied as quickly as possible, before being sent out again.
“It is beyond overwhelming,” said Pastor Courtney. “It’s never been like this. People have been so kind.”
The donations have filled the shelves at the Innisfil Food Bank, which provides boxes of food to more than 100 families each month.
“It works out to almost three tonnes of food per month,” said the Pastor, and it takes a small army of volunteers to sort the incoming donations by food type and date, stock the shelves, and pack the food boxes.
It’s not only food that has been donated. Innisfil Community Church also has a “toy room,” filled with toy donations, and will be inviting the families, when they come to pick up their Christmas hampers, to drop in to “shop” for free gifts for their children.
The toys are all sorted by age, and there are piles of handknit scarves, hats and mitts, donated by the community.
“This is what it’s all about,” said one volunteer. “Everyone is just overwhelmed by how much the community does.”
The donations to the food bank weren’t the only outpouring of generosity within Innisfil this year. At the same time that the Christmas hampers were being filled, Innisfil Christmas For Kids (Year Round) volunteers were working to fulfill the Christmas wishes of over 137 local families, using toys, gift cards and cash donated by the community.
Set up at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Churchill, the volunteers worked to fill bags for nearly 400 children of all ages.
Registered families were invited to submit the wish lists of their kids – “What they want from Santa,” explained charity co-founder Debra Harrison. “Every child who believes in Santa gets what they wish for.”
Those wishes ranged from “anything Pokemon,” to L.O.L dolls, LEGO, Life dolls, Nerf sets, or just a cuddly stuffed animal. Some toys were donated by the community; others, including many gift cards, were purchased with the cash received – including a cheque for $500 from PACE Credit Union, and a $3,000 gift from the newly-formed Innisfil chapter of “100 Men Who Give a Damn.”
The grassroots organization of “like-minded men making a difference in their community" only began meeting in Innisfil in October, but the group has grown rapidly, with each member donating $100.
On Monday, the 100 Men group handed out donations to Habitat for Humanity Huronia and the Salvation Army, with the biggest cheque going to Innisfil Christmas For Kids.
“This is going to go a long way,” said an overwhelmed Harrison, accepting the gift.
At PACE Credit Union, Manager Barb Trennum noted that this is the third year that the branch has donated to the local charity. “We’re really community-oriented. Each branch has a community fund,” noted Trennum.
The Branch used to donate to other charities, she said, but “once we found out about them (Christmas For Kids) – wow!”
The toys filled the parish hall at St. Peter’s, along with boots and coats for kids. Not every gift will be given out at Christmas. Some will go into storage, to support the Birthday Program that continues all year round.
“It’s a blessing, it truly is,” said Harrison. “It keeps us busy all year round.”
Meanwhile, at Innisfil Community Church, the packing continued, making sure that every hamper was filled with an equal amount of food, and that last minute toy donations were placed in the appropriate age category – since the families would be coming to pick up their hampers and toys the very next day, on Dec. 17.
And planning continued for the Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Dinner, a free turkey dinner with all the trimmings for anyone who is alone at Christmas, facing financial hardship, or looking for fellowship. Anyone wishing to attend should RSVP to Innisfil Community Church, 1571 Innisfil Beach Rd., at 705-436-1611.