It’s been a busy holiday season for the Niverville Helping Hands Food Bank, and as the final delivery day wraps up, Board Chair Larissa Sandulak shares how things went.
“We wrapped up our Christmas season with the final hamper deliveries on Tuesday.”
The food bank's mission this year was to make sure every family in need received a hamper.
“We had some late registrations, but everyone that asked for a hamper got a hamper this year.”
This year, the food bank provided 80 hampers.
“The number is a little bit lower than last year. We had a lot of people forget to register within the window of time. Otherwise, it would have been higher, but we accommodated all the requests,” Sandulak said.
Even with the late registrations, the community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“People were eager to step in. When we had some late hamper registration show-ups, people were asking, ‘How can we help?’ and ‘Where do you need help?’ We had lots of willing hands.”
Niverville Helping Hands Food Bank Christmas Hamper program is unique from other communities. Sandulak explained how it works:
“Families who need a hamper register with us, and then other families register to sponsor them. We send the asking-families information to the ‘sponsoring’ families, who then shop for the kids, donate towards the food portion, and we purchase and pack everything. It’s very personalized. The sponsoring family goes out, picks out the gifts, wraps them, and includes cards. They take complete ownership of the family they’re sponsoring.”
Sandulak says that the hampers weren’t just for Niverville residents.
“We had families from New Bothwell, Niverville, and a few from Ste. Agathe.”
Looking ahead, the food bank will continue to rely on community support.
“Our shelves are looking pretty good right now, thanks to lots of donations. But, of course, we always need help throughout the year.”
Sandulak says financial donations are always appreciated and can be made by e-transfer to nevillehelpinghands@gmail.com. These funds help fill in gaps, purchase things like eggs, milk, and meat, and even support local seniors participating in community lunches.
The holiday season may be wrapping up, but Niverville Helping Hands Food Bank’s work continues, with the community’s generous support making a real difference.