Many local initiatives have popped up around the holiday season in Lethbridge, at a time when many are in need of a financial boost. From the food bank to the Salvation Army, many venues are available for people to give.
With COVID-19 resulting in a drastic spike in unemployment in the spring, Albertans continue to struggle financially amidst new restrictions and an ongoing second wave.
Kristi Perchacz says a family close to her heart has been going through a difficult time due to the pandemic. With six children aged seven to 14, the family was struggling to have a joyful Christmas.
In an effort to lend a hand, Perchacz sought out the help of Random Acts of Christmas, a campaign run by House of Cars Lethbridge.
The local dealership began taking nominations for families or individuals in need in November, hoping to serve the needs of about six families.
General manager and co-owner Hutch Orr says a larger-than-expected number of nominations came in, causing them to expand their initiative.
“A lot of people are going through some difficult times and we wanted to give back to our community,” he said. “After reading through all the nominations, we knew we couldn’t cap it at six. Basically we had a budget in mind, and we were going to help as many families as we possibly could.”
Orr says they catered their gifts to the needs of each family; some received help with their bill payments, while others got new winter tires.
Perchacz, who was a nominator, went on a shopping spree at Wal-Mart on Saturday, picking out toys, games and other goodies for the family. She says her own situation prevented her from helping them in this way, but wanted to make sure they felt loved.
“Even I’m struggling,” she said. “My husband does home renovations, and now he can’t ’cause he can’t go into people’s houses.”
She hoped to spread the message that asking for help shouldn’t be shameful, especially around the holidays.
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