Annual hamper drive delivers toys, food to families in need

American online shopping giant Amazon offered prime delivery of Christmas hampers and children’s toys in Winnipeg on Saturday.

Dozens of volunteers braved sub-zero temperatures to load up hampers and gifts at R.B. Russell School to be delivered to more than 200 families as part of Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata’s annual Christmas hamper drive.

Amazon donated $5,000 to Ma Mawi to buy about 700 gifts for children as part of the drive, which marked its 24th year.

“Our goal is to help and support the community as best as we can,” said Hassan Oyelaja, operations manager for Amazon Manitoba. “We’re always looking to donate and do things like this, especially around the holiday season.”

Ma Mawi volunteers spent the morning filling boxes with all the fixings for a holiday meal before loading them into Amazon delivery vans and volunteer vehicles to bring to families.

The need for children’s toys has only grown in recent years, according to Ma Mawi program support director Marion McKenzie.

“The change in number of kids we’re seeing the number of toys that we wrap every year gets a little big bigger,” McKenzie said. “That’s always hard to see that parents need that extra help so we were happy to partner with Amazon for this.”

In November 2024 Campaign 2000, a non-profit organization which advocates to end child poverty, released a report showing Manitoba had the highest rates of child poverty for youth under 18 and youth under six. Winnipeg Centre was identified as the urban federal riding with the highest child poverty rates.

The report showed 41.6 per cent of First Nations children in Manitoba are living in poverty.

Part of Ma Mawi’s philosophy is to prioritize children in its programming, McKenzie said. The increased need to serve children has prompted the organization to stretch its budget, but the goal to serve youth always remains at the forefront.

“It’s what we do as Indigenous people,” she said. “When families are in crisis and they need help, that’s just what we do. It’s just a natural way of doing work.”

Volunteers like John have been helping at Ma Mawi for more than 15 years, including three for the Christmas hamper drive.

“It’s nice,” said John, who declined to give his last name. “To see the toys and stuff going up to the kids. Feels good.”

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca