Tougher economic conditions in Saskatchewan mean plenty of people are having to get through the holidays on less, and charities in Regina are taking notice.
“More people, more pressures, but it’s a generous community so we’re optimistic,” Regina Food Bank CEO Steve Compton said.
So far the Food bank has raised around half of their $150,000 financial goal, and are putting together 2,000 Christmas hampers form the holiday season.
Those hampers ship out next week, and they’ll have to feed more people. Compton said they usually serve around 8,000 people per month and that number has been climbing over the past three months.
Compton added that the same economic conditions felt by their clients are being experienced by their donors.
“Rising costs of good, a lot of discussion around food prices, all those type of things,” he explained.
“But we have seen a lot of generosity. While we haven’t seen less people giving, there have been some occasions where people have been able to give a little less.”
In addition to their hampers, the Food Bank has hundreds of boxes of toys from Rawlco Radio’s Santa’s Anonymous in their warehouse to distribute.
The annual toy drive collected around 8,000 items, which will be going out to 1,600 Regina-area families. Jay Stone, program director from 980 CJME, said this is an increase in the number of families from last year.
“In turn there certainly were less donations that came in this year. Not a lot, but certainly less than in previous years,” Stone said.
He added that the economy played a factor in the donation decrease.
On the flip side, other non-profits are starting to see things pick up.
Soul’s Harbour Rescue Mission saw a donation increase this week after a slow start to their campaign. They’re gathering warm children’s clothes and toys for Christmas stocking, and food items for their annual holiday supper.
Marketing manager Patty Humphreys said that they’re still looking for things like turkeys and hams though.
“It’s a great benefit to the families and the individuals that we’re able to help out, and we’re all stake holders in the community, so it’s in all our best interest to see how everyone is doing,” she said.
The familiar jingling of the Salvation Army bells ring throughout Regina once again in their Kettle Campaign.
Major Bruce Mac Kenzie said that they haven’t seen much of a change this year for donations, and they’re about half way to their fundraising goal of $180,000.
However, they do need more volunteers to continue their momentum. Mac Kenzie said they’re looking to fill 400 volunteer shifts next week to wrap up the campaign.
“It’s a tremendous gift for us to be able to represent the people of Regina to their neighbours, and share this wonderful gift,” Mac Kenzie said.
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