Taking a break from work… to work on Christmas hampers

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This article was published 29/11/2024 (315 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not Santa’s workshop and they’re not elves, exactly.

But the effort of a dozen CIBC employees was no less helpful to the Christmas Cheer Board this week, as the 105-year-old charity annual ramps up work to meet the holiday-season needs of thousands of Winnipeggers.

They are among a lengthy list of Winnipeg workers whose employers make them available for a couple of hours to pack food and gifts into Christmas hampers.

Daniel Strang, CIBC’s director and team leader for commercial banking, headed the group at the cheer board’s headquarters and warehouse in the former Bill Knight’s flooring store on Route 90 north of Wellington Avenue.

“It was great,” said Strang. “We always try to see if we can do a couple of these things together as a team and this worked out great. This allowed us to give back to an organization like this, but we also saw what they do.”

Strang was personally responsible for depositing two boxes of Kraft Dinner and a bag of sugar into 250 hampers going to families of four.

“It was fun to support them in the amazing work they do,” he said.

Cheer board executive director Shawna Bell said the outreach is something the organization decided to pursue during recent campaigns.

“It’s education,” said Bell. “For so long, we worked directly with the schools — and that is very important — but it was the adults we haven’t seen for a while.

“We’re always looking for more volunteers to come on board and, if we can find a place in their hearts, we might get a donation, so it is a win-win for us.”

Bell said students from various schools pack hampers on weekday mornings and employees from a variety of workplaces take over in the afternoon.

“We’ve had about 25 businesses step in this year to help,” she said, adding the assembly line started on Nov. 12 and will shut down for the year on Dec. 18.

“The spots filled up fast, which is pretty exciting.”

There will be a lot of hampers to deliver this year. As of Friday, the cheer board had received 15,269 requests and is expecting as many as 21,000 this year.

Bell needs volunteer drivers to deliver hampers beginning Thursday. Volunteers can sign up in person at the cheer board site, 895 Century St.

“I will bring my son — he is five — and we’re going to deliver hampers… my son will also learn about giving,” Strang said.

Donations are needed to continue loading up hampers, and that’s where you come in.

Our annual Free Press Miracle on Mountain campaign helps the cheer board buy food and presents for kids. Information for donating appears in the box attached to this column.

This year is even more challenging for the cheer board because of the ongoing nationwide Canada Post strike. Mail is not being delivered, so donations have to be made online.

Please give generously; Christmas will be here in less than a month and we have a long way to go.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca