The second annual Lethbridge Police Service Charity Checkstop took place on Sunday afternoon, and the strong winds didn’t stop residents from showing up for those less fortunate.
Donations of new, unwrapped toys, non-perishable food items and money were accepted.
LPS officers and community partners braved the gusting winds outside the ENMAX Centre as people stopped by to drop off donations. This year’s recipient is the Christmas Hope campaign, a collaborative effort between the Interfaith Food Bank, Lethbridge Food Bank, Lethbridge Family Services (Angel Tree), Salvation Army (Toys for Tots) and My City Care (Shop of Wonders).
“We know it’s been so difficult for a lot of people these last couple years,” said event organizer Const. Stewart Kambeitz with LPS. “So we just wanted to help out where we could and give a hand where we had the ability to.”
A release from LPS said that cars started showing up before the start time and were steady throughout the day. One anonymous driver came through with a dump truck overflowing with gifts to donate.
“We have a lot of community support so far,” said Kambeitz on Sunday afternoon. “It’s good to see everybody come out on this windy day and supporting everybody.”
By the end of the day, the LPS Charity Checkstop collected 792 gifts, 51,291 pounds of food and more than $1,260 in cash and gift cards.
“It’s amazing to see what can bring people together,” said Kambeitz.
Last year’s Charity Checkstop brought in more than $8,217 cash donations, 1,357 unwrapped toys and 2,394 pounds of non-perishable food items.
The event plans to return in 2022.