Time to celebrate, share and set ‘a good example’

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This article was published 18/12/2023 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The holidays are a time for giving, and local charities are hoping the sharing extends beyond family and friends.

Not-for-profit organizations in Winnipeg say they need donations and volunteers more than ever.

A Harvest Manitoba report from last month said food bank usage in Manitoba has increased by 150 per cent since 2019. Usage increased by 30 per cent this year compared with last year. Children make up half of all food bank users in Manitoba.

Colleen McVarish, Harvest’s director of food and fundraising, said the price of inflation has increased the need for donations for the holidays.

“Families are thinking that, yes, they want to help Harvest Manitoba, but it’s like they’re putting their own basket first versus a tin-for-the-bin in front of the store,” she said.

McVarish said Harvest is stretched thin, with donation waiting lists that are 12 days long.

“The food banks are packed, and we’re trying to get people into the food banks as we fast as we can,” she said.

She said an extra food item in a bin or a small cash donation makes a difference.

“You’re helping a family that may not have that extra item to put in their kitchen cupboard,” McVarish said.

A Harvest Manitoba bin was filled with cans of tomato soup and boxes of macaroni and cheese inside St. Edward the Confessor Church on Arlington Street on Thursday, while a children’s choir practised singing Away in a Manger.

“During the Christmas season, our Filipino community see this as a time to celebrate, and we always have food on our table,” Allan Pamplona, a member of the church’s Knights of Columbus council, said. “This is one way to share our blessings with others.”

Pamplona first organized the council’s Harvest Manitoba food drive in 2015 after he volunteered to help in 2014.

Johnny Ortizo said parishioners have been eager to bring donations for the food drive.

“Every time they see the bin — especially the children — they say, ‘Daddy, Daddy. We have some extra food,’ and they will bring it here, and they’re very happy,” Ortizo said. “It’s a good example to show the kids how to help other people.”

Food isn’t the only thing in demand this month. At Siloam Mission, winter clothing and more volunteers are needed to meet the high demand, along with non-perishable food times.

Clothing room visits increased by 19 per cent in the 2022-23 fiscal year. The number of meals served increased by more than 85 per cent during that time.

CEO Tessa Whitecloud said it’s been harder to find volunteers since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Siloam is hosting its big holiday meal on Friday, and donors and volunteer servers are still needed.

Helga Grose first started volunteering at Siloam in May 2022, after she retired. Grose had frequently donated to the clothing program. She enjoys helping people search for a particular item during the holiday season.

One day, Grose was helping a woman find a jacket. While looking in the back storage area, she found a brand-new one in the woman’s size.

“She looked at me as she touched it. She said, ‘Oh my gosh, I haven’t had anything brand new in a long time. It’s perfect,’” Grose said. “You turn around because you have tears in your eyes, and it’s a really great thing to be a part of.”

Whitecloud said Siloam is seeing a lot of people who are experiencing homelessness for the first time because of the rising cost of living.

She said she’s also seeing a higher number of people who are housed but can’t afford their basic needs.

“We have a lot of folks who, in the past, we supported them to get housing, and we said when things get tough, come by again — and things are tough,” Whitecloud said.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca