Dave Robinson put out a call for anyone who needed help and had no idea so many would respond.
Robinson belongs to a Facebook group called “Calgary Cash Jobs.” After seeing so many hard-luck stories posted, he offered to help a handful of families with donations. But he was overwhelmed by the need.
“It just blew up.”
“I put it out there like, ‘hey, anyone needs help I will try to help five or 10 people’ and within an hour I had 70 people message me,” Robinson said.
Other strangers pitched in to help gather the goods. They’ve spent countless hours away from their day jobs picking up contributions for Calgarians in need.
“Almost all people we heard from got laid off, are on disability or someone died or someone got hurt and can’t work and no one can find work.”
They’re hoping to fill food hampers for the families they’re rewarding with their kindness. If you can help with food items or a grocery gift card, you can reach Robinson via email at ueki7@hotmail.ca.
Other charities validate the exponential need for food. Made by Momma can’t keep up with the demand.
“We are on track to helping 8,000 families,” Renu Chandarana said. “That’s a 150 per cent increase from last year.”
The non-profit provides home-cooked meals for families unable to prepare it for themselves and they’re also hoping to fulfill the needs for Christmas hampers.
“We’ve had full shelves and we don’t have anything.”
“We have 200 hampers to fill,” Chandarana said. “As of today, we could fill about five or six.”
