Moving smoothly like a well-organized army, shoppers push around carts as volunteers check lists and fill the carts with staples like tomato sauce, pasta, fruits, peanut butter and more.
At the head of the army were the Knights of Columbus and their helpers, marshaling the troops and directing traffic to make sure that the 150 hampers were full and ready to be delivered or picked up at the Senior Citizens Centre.
Every year, the Knights organize this food drive, in conjunction with the Santa’s Elves project to collect donated gifts for children and youth, to make sure families in need don’t go without at Christmas.
It’s early on a Sunday morning, but the many volunteers include children and adults of all ages and they all seem bright-eyed and eager to help.
One volunteer standing beside me handing out cans says she once recognized the name of a family that was to receive a hamper and had some doubts as to whether they were really in need. But when she took her concerns to the Knights of Columbus, she says they gave her a very important lesson, telling her that when it came to the project, one had to “close their eyes and open their hearts.”
“That was a very good lesson,” she stressed. “Close your eyes and open your heart.”
There are definitely people who need the help and who are very grateful for the assistance, said Simon Dargis, an organizer of the Christmas hampers project with the Knights of Columbus. “We keep doing this because there’s definitely a need and we’re happy to be of some help.”
The Knights are just the middle-men, he said, with all the gifts donated by individuals and businesses and any extra needs taken care of by a fund set aside for the purpose. This year, the money donated was “just as rich as last year,” while he said there were even more gifts donated than expected this year.
As for the army of helpers that came out to help with the delivery and pick-ups, their efforts were appreciated, said Dargis.
“The helpers, we appreciate them totally because it’s just out of the goodness of their hearts they are here. Without their help, we’d be swamped. We wouldn’t be able to do this as well as we’re doing this with the group,” he said, extending his thanks to everyone involved for making the food and gift drive a success yet again.
