Cheer board disburses $400K to charities, food banks
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The Brandon-Westman Christmas Cheer Registry has disbursed $400,000 to 45 different Westman charities and food banks.
The registry received $500,000 from the provincial government earlier this month because of the sale of U.S. liquor last year. It kept $100,000 for its own programs.
Seven Brandon-based charities will receive a combined $275,000, with Samaritan House Ministries receiving the most at $100,000, followed by the Brandon Friendship Centre at $50,000.
Cheer board treasurer Bob Walberg said his organization was originally told to keep $150,000 but decided to disburse a third of that amount to other recipients. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun files)
Westman & Area Traditional Christmas Dinner, Salvation Army Brandon, Seniors for Seniors, Brandon Food Rescue and Brandon’s Food for Thought will each receive $25,000.
The remaining $125,000 will be split between 38 food bank and Christmas Cheer organizations, stretching from Russell to Pilot Mound.
The funding was split proportionally to the number of families who use the respective food banks. The largest total given to one food bank was $31,010, with the smallest being $124.
Bob Walberg, the registry’s treasurer, said his organization was originally told to keep $150,000 for itself, but it instead decided to disburse a third of that amount to the food banks and add Brandon’s Food for Thought to the benefiting charities.
He said every organization was thankful to have received funding, and not a single one thought it was a prank call when he phoned them to let them know the good news.
Walberg also thanked the province and Brandon East MLA Glen Simard for helping to address food insecurity in the region.
During the holiday season last year, the province sold off a large portion of its shelved American liquor, with the proceeds going to organizations in Brandon, Winnipeg and Thompson. The alcohol had been removed from stores after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian products earlier that year.
The Helping Hands Centre of Brandon received $200,000 from the liquor sales directly from the provincial government.
» alambert@brandonsun.com