With only three days left in the 2018 Barrie and District Christmas Cheer campaign, organizers and volunteers say they are only halfway to their targeted goal of $250,000 and need a Christmas miracle from the community.
Christmas Cheer is in the final stretch before they head out Friday and distribute over 1,600 food and toy baskets to families who need it and they currently sit at $125,000, which is half of what they need financially.
The warehouse was busy with volunteers as early as 7 a.m. and Christmas Cheer vice-president Leah Wells hopes it gets even busier with help before the end of the week.
“We’re really reaching out to the public and our corporate donors to see what they can do to support us this year,” said Wells. “We are still accepting food and unwrapped toys donations at the warehouse and at our many locations across town, but we really are looking for cash donations so we can allocate that money to where we need it most.”
For those people who leave their shopping until the day before Christmas, Christmas Cheer doesn’t have that option, as they need to get everything packed as soon as possible and gone by Friday, which means money needs to be collected and items bought immediately.
“Thursday is when we start our distribution and our clients come in to pick up their packages and we head out to hand out food boxes to those who require them as well on Friday we have our families coming in to pick food and toys,” said Wells. “We really need to get everything packed up and ready to go for those days.”
If you are looking to donate to the Christmas Cheer campaign, call 705-730-0449 or check out their website at www.christmascheerbarrie.com for details on how to send money.
Christmas Cheer is also accepting monetary donations after Christmas to assist with any bills that were accumulated during the campaign.
All donations can be delivered to the warehouse, which is located at 364 St. Vincent St., by Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2018 in order for them to be successfully distributed to those in need by the weekend.
