Miracle on Mountain annual campaign seeks lofty goal

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/11/2023 (700 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

These are tough times for a lot of people.

Grocery prices are soaring, the financial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic are still being felt and food bank use has gone up dramatically.

For many, putting food on the table is like climbing a mountain.

Thankfully, to help them during the holiday season, we have a different Mountain to climb — and you can help.

The annual Free Press Miracle on Mountain fundraiser, which takes donations from generous readers to help the Christmas Cheer Board of Winnipeg fill holiday food hampers for those who need them, is kicking off for another year.

“The pressing need for the Christmas Cheer Board has already been front-page news in our paper and that’s why I hope our readers will again respond via our Miracle on Mountain,” said Free Press editor Paul Samyn.

Last year, the Cheer Board distributed an astonishing 18,313 hampers — the most in its 104-year history, established in 1919 to assist veterans of the First World War.

This year, the forecast is it will need to fund 19,000 hampers.

The Cheer Board is a barometer of ongoing issues.

A nationwide report released earlier this week from Food Banks Canada found a 32 per cent increase in food bank use in Canada this year, compared to 2022.

In Manitoba, one in four people using a food bank is employed, because the cost of living is high and more people are slipping under the poverty line.

The Cheer Board provides hampers designed to meet a range of needs, from single individuals to families with multiple members, whether they are old or young, whether or not they live with disabilities.

Inside, they are filled with a myriad of items including juice, soup, pasta, tuna, peanut butter and pancake mix. They also come with, for every child aged 14 and under, a wrapped brand new toy or gift.

Realizing the need, Shawna Bell, the Cheer Board’s executive director (or chief elf), opened its phone lines Nov. 3 — almost two weeks earlier than usual.

“We’re getting 500 people a day calling in,” Bell said Thursday. “By Day 3, we had 1,500 applications processed… The phone calls haven’t stopped.”

Bell wanted to assure people they don’t have to worry if they haven’t got through yet; the phone lines will be open until Dec. 23.

“One of our ladies took a call, and the person said, ‘I need food now.’ Unfortunately, that’s not how we work — they will have to call Harvest or another food bank — but it shows how bad it is out there.”

It’s stories like that the Free Press sports department is getting ready to tell, to hopefully inspire readers to go online to donate or drop a cheque in the mail.

“The campaign in 2022 was the first I’ve been a part of as sports editor and the experience was amazing,” Free Press sports editor Jason Bell said.

“Liaising with Cheer Board executive director Shawna Bell (no relation) and developing story ideas was the highlight of each week we were involved. We spoke to incredible people doing some wonderful work to make the holiday season a little more special for some of Winnipeg’s less fortunate families.”

Now, it is up to you. Please take a minute to help make sure somebody’s holiday season has a bright spot.

Because, as has been said before, hunger doesn’t take a holiday.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca