Steinbach Community Christmas has begun hamper registration, and they are expecting overall numbers to climb once again. 

Hamper Coordinator Carolyn Peters says registration opened Wednesday morning and will close on the 30th of November. 

“So, the month of November, registration is online at our website, steinbachcommunitychristmas.com is where everyone can go to register themselves, they can register someone that they know might be in need, all the information is on our website there.” 

Last year, Peters says they delivered 1,313 Christmas hampers. 

“This year, we've budgeted for 1350. And with toys, let's quickly talk about Toys Days, that's coming up December 5 and 6 this year. Our toy distribution last year was 1,900 toys and this year we're budgeting for 2,000 toys for kids, so that's kind of where our numbers are.” 

Steinbach Community Christmas relies heavily on monetary donations. They then use that money to purchase food for the so that every hamper is the same quality, and depending on family size, has the same amount of food. 

With that said, Coordinator Roger Blatz says money is going to be tight this year. 

“We're going to have to ask for more money, that’s the bottom line. There are more people that are going to need hampers this year than ever before, and the pricing is up.” He adds "At our September meeting, because the groceries really went up this year significantly, I think that's when we said we need to take a hard look at what we're putting in the boxes.”

Peters says they will also do their best to make every dollar count. 

“We always have our accountant, Ben, keeping us in check and making sure that we're getting the best price possible, which Roger always does because he has great relationships with our suppliers. Because of the price of groceries, we've taken a triple look at how we can be the most responsible and the best stewards with what we're given in the community.” 

Peters notes they wouldn’t be able to do the work they do without the support of the community, so they want to make sure that they respect the community in return by being fiscally responsible. 

If you are able and would like to make a donation to help Steinbach Community Christmas out, you can visit their website or drop a cheque off at South East Helping Hands. 

 

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