Volunteers gathered at two Morris locations Friday morning to put finishing touches on the Morris & Area Christmas Cheerboard hampers gifted to local residents the next day.
Between the YFC Drop-in location that packaged 25 hampers for residents of the Morris RM, and the Fellowship Chapel site that made up approximately 75 hampers for Town of Morris residents, Sherri Siemens, board co-chair, was content with “how smoothly everything ran this year.”
The hampers came together using personal donations and funds received through the previous weekend’s Breakfast with Santa at the Morris Multiplex. The Cheer Board is able to purchase food items at cost through Morris Bigway, and create hampers along with physical donations from Rosenort Co-op, Morris Superthrifty Pharmacy, and Kroeker Farms.
“Members from different churches and subsets of Morris groups come together for this annual event,” shared Cara Klippenstein, youth worker at YFC Morris. “Local youth get to meet new people in their community, coming together for a common goal.”
The annual shared purpose of creating hampers for those in need “brings many of the volunteers back year after year,” said Siemens.
For the fourth year, the event had the alternative Grade 9-12 class from Morris School “getting the kids out and giving back,” said educational assistant Jordan Berezowski.
Included in each hamper is approximately $100 worth of food, perishables, and gifts for any children in the household.
“The application form doesn’t ask for specifics around financial need, but the hampers are meant as a way to alleviate the strain for people over the holidays. We are thankful to bless the community in this way,” said Jack Wiebe, YFC executive director and co-chair of the Cheerboard.
The daycare organizes the toy drive, putting donation boxes into Morris organizations and arranging the wrapping of the gifts. Toys are also collected during the Breakfast with Santa fundraiser event each year.
“Christmas Cheer really brings awareness to needs in our community,” shared Siemens. “The board provides the ground work, determines what the needs are, but volunteers in the community do the rest. Although recipients are encouraged to pick up their hampers in person on Saturday, the fire department does help with about 25 per cent of deliveries.”
