By Cecilia Nasmith
Like the first hint of the Christmas season, the annual appeal from the Salvation Army will soon be in your mailbox.
And this year, Community and Family Services Director Edward Nkyi says your support may just mean more than it ever has before.
Among the many ways COVID-19 has made the 2020 Christmas season different from last year's is the cancellation of the Giving Tree at Northumberland Mall, which means the Salvation Army must step in with toy collections.
The support of local emergency responders (and, last year, St. John Ambulance joined the list) with special Cram The Cruiser events that challenged shoppers to fill ambulances and police cars with food and toys is something else that COVID has put on hold this year.
Special public events to drum up support hosted by the Cobourg Cougars and Port Hope Panthers are also a no-go.
Last year, the Salvation Army provided Christmas for more than 725 households, Nkyi recalled in an interview this week, and spent about $70,000 in gift cards for these families. This year, there's that extra responsibility at a time when circumstances are hitting so many so hard.
Just because the appeal comes at Christmas, Nkyi said, don't forget that the funds support a long list of year-round programs that are still continuing in some form, such as their food bank, food cupboard, the baby formula program, Mobile Community Outreach, lunch and homelessness programming, health-bank program, emergency transportation, shelter and housing assistance, rent and utility assistance, emergency disaster services, the Rent Smart program, Celebrate Recovery and furniture, clothing and bed referral.
They also offer Seniors Outreach, as well as programs that revolve around children like the Backpack Program, summer camps and the JumpStart program that enables so many to participate in sports and recreational activities.
The large gymnasium at their Cobourg citadel provides blessed space to run programs in socially-distanced compliance, like the Coats For Kids distribution that is about to wind down another season. There are still a wide variety of coats in all sizes, along with the hats, boots and even backpacks that children need as they enter another winter.
Instead of the big community envelope-stuffing bee in this spacious room that is their usual kick-off for the Christmas campaign, Major Dan Broome said they held a scaled-down stuffing bee that took a little longer but did get the job done in relative safety. Now they're hoping for a generous response.
Christmas Kettle Co-ordinator Yuri Castillo is gearing up for an official launch Nov. 26, having lined up permission to place kettles and volunteers at all the usual locations, including Foodland, Wal-Mart, Metro, No Frills and Canadian Tire. Due to space limitations, they are putting unmanned kettles out at the Beer Stores and LCBOs.
The challenge here is that so many of the wonderful reliable kettle volunteers are among the more vulnerable populations, so Castillo is reaching out to different groups and organizations for their support in providing supplemental volunteers. He's reporting a generous response from such groups as Probus, Lions and Inner Wheel.
For extra safety, he said, the kettles this year will have a tap-and-pay feature. They've had this in Canada for some time, but this is the first year local shoppers will see it. It's a cost – as is the plexiglass barriers they will place between the volunteer and the kettle – but safety must be a priority this year.
“We are following all the protocols at all the outlets,” Castillo stated.
Nkyi is hoping anyone who would have supported the Giving Tree will continue to be generous and will drop off toys to the Salvation Army – at the Family Services office or citadel in Cobourg or at their Port Hope office, open Mondays through Fridays during business hours, or call or text 905-375-7682.
The deadline to drop off toys is Dec. 10 in order to allow time to sort and organize for Christmas deliveries. He described the complex process of ensuring age-appropriate toys go to the right children, with older kids (who would have no interest in toys) receiving a gift card and perhaps a small cash gift.
Food donations can also be made to the Salvation Army locations, he added.
Broome said they are approaching all the businesses who were so generous last year with donations of food or toys, and hope they can do the same this year.
So many members of the community have been hit hard by the isolation as well as the economic challenges. The big community Christmas dinner they always hold offers a welcome helping of fellowship along with the food, but not this year. The dinner will happen Dec. 15, Nkyi said. But instead of a big gathering, they are arranging deliveries and take-outs.
Broome said that children feel this too.
“We have all had to make sacrifices, kids especially,” he said.
“Schools shut down in March. Now they're back, they're so different.
“We want to try to make Christmas as special as possible.
“Christmas still happens. You can't cancel Christmas. But like Thanksgiving, this year it's different.”
While they had an official fundraising target last year, Castillo said, they are not bothering to calculate and announce one for this especially challenging year. Suffice it to say that your support is greatly needed.
Families who would like to register for Christmas hampers can do so between Nov. 2 and Dec. 4 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. - for more information, call 905-373-9440 or 905-885-2323.
