Donations sought for Christmas Cheer Board

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This article was published 23/11/2023 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Christmas Cheer board in Erickson, Onanole and Sandy Lake has been gearing up for what they believe will be the busiest season yet for them due to the rising cost of living felt across the nation and at home.

“The need has probably doubled in 30 years,” says Shelly Nichols, who has volunteered with the board since 1996 and became involved because of member Evely Cooley, who recently passed away. “We would have around, give or take, 20 hampers then, and we were over 40 last year.”

The board, which serves the communities of Erickson, located 80 kilometres north of Brandon; Onanole, located 95 km in the same direction; and Sandy Lake, a community 96 km northwest of the Wheat City, is focusing on raising money from individuals and businesses. Those donations will allow them to provide assistance such as food hampers and toys to families in their community.

“Last year saw the largest amount of hampers given out, and we’re anticipating close to 50 hampers this year, I would think,” Nichols said.

For years, the board in Erickson, Onanole and Sandy Lake has worked with the Brandon Christmas Cheer Board. In the past, the group would get hampers from Brandon, but nearly 30 years later, community involvement has helped the Cheer Board do even more and become sustainable on its own. It does still receive help from the Brandon board, which provides boxes for use as hampers, but operates independently.

“It’s very generous that they’re allowing us to work under them, and they do have other communities that do that as well,” Nichols said. The Brandon Christmas Cheer Board also supplies the Erickson, Onanole and Sandy Lake one with teddy bears and stuffed animals.

Currently, the board calls the Onanole Rec Centre its headquarters, and board members purchase food with donations that have come in, package it into hampers and deliver it within the span of about two days, Nichols says.

With a dedicated group of core volunteers, the Cheer Board has been helped by the youth of the community to ensure that their charitable endeavours come to fruition each year.

“Over the last couple of years, Onanole School will bring their Grade 7 and 8 classes over and they’ll actually do the unpacking and sorting and packing again,” Nichols said. “It’s done in a couple of hours with 20 students.”

Helping out the Christmas Cheer Board is something that the students look forward to every year, Nichols said. It also benefits them by providing them a way to give back to their communities and learn the value of volunteerism and charity. The people who pack the hampers never know who they’re going to be delivered to, so there’s also no need to worry about people’s privacy, Nichols said.

A local construction company goes and picks up the food from the grocery store and delivers it to the rec centre, which Nichols says saves the board a lot of time and planning.

“It’s a quick turnaround,” she said.

Word about the board and what it does has spread in the community and beyond, and Nichols is happy that people from all three communities are able to use the program to ensure they have everything they need during the holiday season.

Donations are needed now more than ever due to the rising cost of living, Nichols said. Last year, the board spent around $8,000 of donations on groceries alone.

“I get cash and cheques, and there’s a basic list of things I buy,” she said. “I call in to order at the Co-op, and they hold it till I need it, and I pray that I have enough money.”

Donations to the Cheer Board can even be made after Christmas, because the board pays its bills in January, Nichols said. People can also “adopt” families to provide gifts for, but they’ll still get hampers from the board too, she added.

Anyone who donates to the cause — individuals or businesses — will receive tax deductible receipts upon request. Cheques should be made payable to Brandon Christmas Cheer but be mailed to Nichols at P.O. Box 250, Onanole, MB, R0J 1N0. Nichols forwards all cheques to the Brandon Christmas Cheer Board, and they in turn provide receipts. Other donation options are available upon request. For more information, e-mail eoschirstmascheer@gmail.com.

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