Lethbridge charities reach Christmas finish line

Lethbridge charities were at or near the finish line on Friday as their Christmas fundraising campaigns came to a close.

With just two nights of sleep until Christmas, local organizations said the need for help was evident this year, with hundreds of families requesting assistance with food and gifts for their children.

“We were taken aback by how many we received,” said Michelle Gallucci, Director of Advancement with Lethbridge Family Services (LFS).

“We didn’t think that we wouldn’t finish, but we were scrambling to finish,” she said.

“Of course at one point we asked our community, who had already been generous to help us out again and they did, so every child, all of the children on that list, all of their little hopes and dreams are being fulfilled.”

The LFS Angel Tree campaign, which provides toy bundles and other services to families in need said they received bundle requests for more than 3,500 children — an increase of more than 300 compared to 2021. It wasn’t just toys that were included on this year’s wish lists.

“Food was a big security issue this year,” Gallucci said.

1:57 Lethbridge food bank use increasing as provincial food insecurity trends up

Food insecurity among a growing number of southern Albertans has made for a busy December at the Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge.

As of Friday, it had distributed more than 850 Christmas food hampers.

“We’re finding a lot of people who wouldn’t normally need food bank services are coming for help,” said Danielle McIntyre, the Interfaith Food Bank’s executive director.

“Single adults who live alone are the fastest growing demographic we’re seeing at the foodbanks. We’re also starting to see a rise in people who own their homes and that is a scary trend for us to see.”

McIntyre added that growing demand means higher operating costs at a time when food prices are still increasing.

“A lot of our agencies have gone over budget in having to make purchases to keep up with that demand and it’s something we may or may not realize from the donations that are coming in,” McIntyre said.

Christmas Hope, a collaborative effort in Lethbridge between local charities like the Interfaith Food Bank and Lethbridge Family Services, is projecting to serve 3,000 adults and 5,500 children this year.

A final tally of donations and families served is expected in early January.