Sharing the Christmas bounty in the Doon Pioneer Park community
A little snowfall added to the holiday spirit when some members of the Christmas Miracle Food Hamper Project committee met at the Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre. They are currently taking donations for 50 food hampers they are preparing to distribute. From left: front row - Tracy Zajac, Christy Webster, Tierney Bjorkenstam, Diane Erdman, Florence Carbray, Brooklyn Zajac; back row - Debra Lengyell, Elaine McReynolds, Diana Smith, Paul Zajac, Dawn Godin, Bev Ditner, Cheryl Barlow.

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by Helen Hall
Kitchener Citizen
December 3, 2015​​


Residents of Doon and Pioneer Park are making sure 50 families in their neighbourhood have a bright Christmas even though they may be struggling with financial hardships.

The Christmas Miracle Food Hamper Project was started in 1981 by members of the Doon Pioneer Park Community Association, and has been an important part of the community’s “season of giving” ever since.

Florence Carbray has been a member of the committee that fills the hampers since 1982.

She said the idea was developed in a meeting “in someone’s living room” in 1981. They made hampers for 10 families that year.

From its humble beginnings the hamper project has grown.

“More than 100 people volunteer hours to put together the hampers,” Carbray said.

The hampers include about three days worth of food valued at $175. They don’t include Christmas toys, but do include hats and mitts for children, and sometimes other gifts like books.

The hamper project is organized by a dozen volunteers who begin work in August. Letters are sent to businesses in the neighbourhood asking for support, and volunteers visit school councils to explain the hamper project and how the school can participate. 

​​In November, families can come to the community centre to register for a hamper. The hampers are co-ordinated through the Salvation Army Christmas Bureau. The bureau co-ordinates the efforts of many local organizations that provide Christmas hampers to those in need, and therefore reduces duplication of services.

December 1 to 15 are the community donation days. In addition to collecting non-perishable food items, the group also accepts financial donations. Items can be dropped off at the community centre, and at some local schools and businesses.

It takes about two days to sort through the donated food at a local church, said Dawn Godin, who is co-ordinating the hamper committee this year.

On December 19, anyone can volunteer to help pack the hampers and deliver the food.

“It is what the season is all about,” said Godin. “It’s about giving back to the community.”

After almost 35 years of quietly going about its work, the group was excited to unveil its first banner, which has been hung outside the Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre.

They hope the banner will remind people to donate to their cause and support those who are struggling financially during the holiday season.

For more information about the hamper project, call the Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre at 519-741-2641.