For the past six years, the Lethbridge Police Service has supported the Christmas Hope campaign by hosting a charity checkstop.
While checkstops are often serious events aimed at preventing and stopping impaired driving over the holidays, this one adds a bit of fun and festive cheer.
“Christmas is a time for generosity and care and we’re doing our part to make a difference and make everyone’s season a little brighter this year,” said Const. Dana Holland.
She says this year will feature some changes, like the tactical team participating for people to check out their vehicles.
This year’s checkstop will again be held at the west Park Place Mall parking lot, near the old Sears.
All donations made will be sent directly to the Christmas Hope teams.
“At the end of the day, (all donations) come back to Lethbridge Family Services where we sort them and (each partner organization) gets an equal share of the proceeds, whether it’s cash donations or toys,” said Lindsay Prete, Angel Tree coordinator with Lethbridge Family Services.
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Residents are encouraged to donate new, unwrapped toys for kids or gifts for seniors, non-perishable food items, or cash.
“On Sunday morning, they all get to come and pick up their goodies and distribute them to their organizations and to the families who really, really need them this season,” said Prete.
The charity checkstop is set to provide a major, needed boost for the charities this year as they grapple with Mother Nature’s will.
“We’re actually a little behind where we have been in the past number of years,” said Zach Marshall, community ministries officer with the Lethbridge Salvation Army.
“I think some of that might be, especially for our kettles, the poor weather that we’ve been having. We’re very hopeful that in the coming weeks that we will bounce back.”
His team is hoping to raise $220,000 this year, but so far they’ve only hit $60,000.
As a result, he says the charity checkstop could be a big boost with Christmas just three weeks away.
“We certainly couldn’t do the things that we do at Christmas time, or throughout the year, without the support of our Christmas kettle campaign and the donors, both individual and corporate donors,” said Marshall.
“So, it’s absolutely critical — we rely on those funds just to be able to do what we do in our community.”
The charity checkstop runs from noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.
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