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WINNIPEG — Hampers filled with food and gifts began going out from the Christmas Cheer Board on Thursday, as families and individuals in need lined up at the St. James warehouse to collect their holiday goodies, including fresh turkeys.
About 18,000 hampers are being prepared this season, with deliveries set to begin on Saturday.
WINNIPEG — Kai Madsen isn’t feeling nervous about how many hampers have yet to be filled at the Christmas Cheer Board before they start going out to deserving families later this week.
The annual operation to pack nearly 18,000 hampers for families and individuals in need is in overdrive as the first packages of food, gifts and turkeys prepare to leave the Cheer Board’s St. James warehouse.
Winnipeg Jets fans are doing their part to raise funds for the Christmas Cheer Board after the NHL fined defenceman Ben Chiarot over the weekend.
Chiarot was fined $3,763.44 for butt-ending Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry in a game last Friday.
The Christmas Cheer Board is in for a special delivery on Friday.
CROWN Auto Group will be dropping off 1,800 turkeys through Granny’s Poultry to bolster the charity’s Christmas hampers program.
The Christmas Cheer Board is in desperate need of volunteer drivers to deliver thousands of hampers city-wide.
The organization’s St. James warehouse is still full and the hampers need to be delivered by Christmas.
Winnipeg’s Santa Bus is now on the streets, spreading holiday cheer one ride at a time.
From now until Saturday, December 24, all cash fares and donations collected on the Santa Bus will go directly to the Christmas Cheer Board.
Last year, $15,000 was raised aboard Bus #140, which is decorated in vinyl graphics of Santa and all of his reindeer.
WINNIPEG — New, unwrapped toys to create a “toppling tower” is this year’s goal at The Forks.
Winnipeggers are being invited to make a donation to the Tower of Toys in support of the Christmas Cheer Board.
“Over the past 15 years, The Forks Market Merchants’ Association has helped collected well over $150,000 in toys and cash for the Christmas Cheer Board,” said Joyce Gittins, chair of The Forks Market Tower of Toys campaign.
By Dave Baxter (@davebbbaxter)
It may not feel like Christmas in Winnipeg because of the warm weather, but there is still a whole lot of need at the Christmas Cheer Board.
Donations are down at the Cheer Board so far this year, and executive director Kai Madsen believes a lack of ice, snow and cold temperatures is a big reason for that.
“We need that blast of white stuff,” said Madsen. “People are subconsciously feeling like this isn’t Christmas time, and it’s because it doesn’t feel like a normal winter.
