Christmas Cheer splits up $500K windfall
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The Brandon-Westman Christmas Cheer Registry is giving away 80 per cent of the money it’s receiving from U.S. liquor sales.
Last month, the provincial government said the registry and its “regional partner organizations” would receive $500,000.
On Monday, the charity said it is keeping $100,000, and will split up the rest between more than eight different organizations in the region.
Synthia Wright, the Brandon-Westman Christmas Cheer Registry's media relations co-ordinator (right), is seen in this file photo with Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett during Christmas hamper preparations. Wright said the group was "absolutely shocked" when the province announced it would receive $500,000. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)
“There are so many community groups that handle food security issues and that we would be so excited to support,” said Synthia Wright, Christmas Cheer’s media relations co-ordinator.
The funds will be disbursed in various amounts to:
• Samaritan House Ministries for its food hamper program: $100,000.
• Brandon Friendship Centre for its programs: $50,000.
• Brandon’s Food for Thought: $25,000.
• Westman and Area Traditional Christmas Dinner: $25,000.
• The Salvation Army’s food bank program: $25,000.
• Brandon Seniors for Seniors Co-op Inc.’s “Dinner is Served” meal program: $25,000.
• Brandon’s Food Rescue Grocery Store: $25,000.
The remaining $125,000 is earmarked for Westman’s rural Christmas cheer boards and food banks, although Wright wasn’t yet sure how many organizations will be benefiting from that portion.
The province shelved American-made alcohol in February 2025 over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs imposed on Canadian products. The provincial government sold most of its saved stock during the Christmas season, with $2.6 million in proceeds going to charities.
Wright said Christmas Cheer was “absolutely shocked” when the province said the group would receive $500,000. The board chose the other locations because they were Christmas-oriented, or because they helped the community all year round, she said.
Making sure seniors and youth organizations received donations was also important for the board.
“Hopefully it can benefit more people and for more weeks in the year,” Wright said.
Food for Thought program co-ordinator Angie Strachan said the contribution her organization is receiving is “very valuable.”
The organization, which feeds 1,350 meals a day across 22 schools, hasn’t been receiving as many donations lately, she said.
“This money is coming at a very, very opportunistic time for us,” Strachan said. “We’re very grateful. This means we’ll be able to continue feeding students until the end of the school year.”
Had the donation not been given, Food for Thought would have had to look for alternative funding sources for it to run the rest of the year, Strachan said.
Strachan said her group had no idea the money would be coming and thanked the Brandon-Westman Christmas Cheer Registry.
Wright said the $100,000 Christmas Cheer is keeping will go toward long-term planning, and the board still has to figure the specifics of what that entails.
In 2025, the organization gave out 1,714 hampers, which compares to 1,551 in 2024 and 1,400 in 2023, Wright said.
“We definitely have an increased need in our community for the Christmas hampers,” she said.
“It’s going to get bigger and bigger. This windfall, this gift, is really going to help us going forward (to) meet those hamper needs for Christmas, and also give us some long-term financial security, which is amazing.”
She said this is an amazing way to start 2026.
“It’s a pretty great way to start the new year to share this kind of funding, and we know that it will help maintain, continue and maybe even improve some of the programming, especially in the rural areas,” she said.
The Sun reached out to two more of the benefiting organizations, but didn’t hear back from them by press time.
Several other organizations also received money from the province’s U.S. liquor sales. Helping Hands in Brandon will receive a portion of $600,000 along with two other Manitoba charities in Thompson and Winnipeg.
Helping Hands executive director Angela Braun last month said it is treating the donation like a Christmas bonus, and is still hoping to secure more funding to fix its building and keep up with rising demand.
The Winnipeg Christmas Cheer Board was also given $1 million, and Harvest Manitoba was handed $500,000.
» alambert@brandonsun.com