Two more communities in the southeast have wrapped up their Christmas hamper giveaways for another year.

Jill Plett is a director with Community Christmas in Grunthal. She says this year they handed out 133 hampers, which is average for their community.

"It went amazing as always, it is such a joy to be able to do this for our community," shares Plett. "We have such great support from local businesses to help us prepare and get things ready for Christmas."

Plett admits that due to the pandemic, they had anticipated this year's need would be greater. However, she says there are other organizations and other communities nearby that also deliver hampers, which is taking some of the load off of Grunthal.

According to Plett, the monetary value of a hamper was between $175 and $200 worth of groceries. Then, on top of that, they provide gifts for the children.

She says they have tremendous support from the community to pull this off. Not only do they receive financial donations but they also have great volunteers that help pack hampers, including local students.

Meanwhile, the Ile des Chenes Food Bank saw a greater need for hampers this Christmas. Suzanne Tetreault is a volunteer with the organization which serves the communities of Ile des Chenes, Grande Pointe and St. Adolphe. She says this year they handed out 29 hampers, which is more than normal.

"I think because of COVID, I'm sure that made a difference," says Tetreault. "People have lost jobs, they are not working as much."

Tetreault says it was a successful campaign again this year, thanks to the generous donors. She notes the value of a hamper for a single person was about $100. This came in the form of a gift card, plus non-perishable food items. In addition, hampers for families included a couple of gifts for each child.

Tetreault says they actually took in more money than what the operation cost this year, which allows them to have more resources on standby for the rest of the year. And, she notes the response from their clients is also heartwarming. Tetreault says they have some clients who will drop off dainties for the volunteers as a way of saying thanks.