Christmas Hope Campaign looking for volunteers

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on November 6, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

With the Christmas Hope Campaign approaching quickly, the various organizations taking part in brightening the holidays for those in need are looking for volunteers.
Christmas Hope is a multi-agency collaboration, serving the community at Christmas, including the Lethbridge Food Bank, Interfaith Food Bank, The Salvation Army, Lethbridge Family Services Angel Tree, MyCityCare Shop of Wonders and Volunteer Lethbridge.
Danielle McIntyre, executive director of the Interfaith Food Bank said the Christmas Hope Campaign is the most important time of the year for them as this is when they collect the bulk of their donations.
“The season of Thanksgiving through till Christmas is everything to us because that season of giving is when we recruit the bulk of the support that we’re going to need to operate in the next calendar year,” said McIntyre.
She said because of this, during the Christmas Hope Campaign they need extra hands to help operate the food bank and to take part on various activities throughout the community on behalf of the food bank.
“Right now, we’re focusing on making sure that we’re good operationally to be able to serve all these extra people that are coming. The volunteers really run our entire operation and are involved in every level from accepting the donation to processing it and actually getting it out into the hands of the families who are coming for that support,” said McIntyre.
When talking about recruiting volunteers, McIntyre said they are lucky to be part of the Christmas Hope Campaign as Volunteer Lethbridge helps them with recruitment and in vetting the volunteers, but they also accept volunteers who come directly to them to register.
Amanda Jensen, executive director of Volunteer Lethbridge echoed McIntyre words by saying that they are trying to relieve some of the stress that comes along with the Christmas season for the organizations involved by helping them match with volunteers.  
“It’s been three years now that we started this quasi-centralized operating model and we are the only volunteer centre in Canada that is running a volunteer centre this way,” said Jensen.  
She said they help relief the stress of the organizations by helping them recruit and screen their volunteers, especially during the Christmas Hope Campaign as it is a very busy and stressful time for the organizations involved.  
“With the Christmas Hope campaign, it’s quite easy for us to absorb campaigns like that because we already have a system and structure in place to do that advertising and recruitment,” said Jensen.
For Lethbridge Family Services Angel Tree, Michelle Gallucci said they are struggling to fill some of the volunteer opportunities but not all of them.
Gallucci explained that part of the Angel Tree Campaign requires toy bundle deliveries to those in need and last year the volunteers suggested having earlier shifts to avoid the dark especially in some neighbourhoods where some people do not feel as safe.
“We changed our delivery shifts for during the day this year for safety reasons, but now we are finding it challenging to recruit gift bundles delivery drivers fill those positions,” said Gallucci.
She said the shifts are weekdays 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 to 3 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. and while gift bundling shifts are all filled, the delivery of those bundles still need to get sorted out.
“We also need help picking up toys at various businesses and organizations that will be collecting toys on our behalf, and those shifts are also during the week during business hours so we are struggling to schedule those as well,” said Gallucci.
For delivering toy bundles Gallucci explained they have a policy of a minimum of two people per delivery for safety reasons, but those who wish to pick up toys at the collection places are welcome to do it alone if they decide to do so, as they will be going to businesses and organizations during the day.
There are multiple ways members of the community can get involve with the organization of their choosing for the Christmas Hope campaign. And Volunteer Lethbridge is encouraging those who wish to donate their time and talents to the campaign to contact them so they can help them get matched with an organization that will suit their availability and their objectives.

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