Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

CHRISTMAS AMALGAMATED & KAMLOOPS FOOD BANK

Less than two weeks to help those in need before Christmas

Dec 13, 2019 | 4:26 PM

KAMLOOPS — There weren’t any partridges, nor pear trees in sight. However, there were a handful of BC Ambulance Paramedics at Superstore in Kamloops Friday morning. They were taking donations for a pair of Kamloops causes.

“We’re hoping to fill the ambulance,” Kamloops Unit Chief Michael Saat told CFJC Today. “[Non]-perishable food items and unopened gifts that we can donate to Christmas Amalgamated and the Kamloops Food Bank, and help them out in their Christmas giving.”

This kind of event is common around the holidays.

“This time of year at the Food Bank is always incredibly magical,” Kamloops Food Bank Executive Director Bernadette Siracky said. “So many donors and volunteers just show up at our door with cars full of food and volunteer hours. It just explodes this month. It’s fabulous.”

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While the Food Bank is well looked after during the Christmas season, the folks over at Christmas Amalgamated have noticed donations have been slower so far this year.

“I’m really quite surprised we haven’t seen more food at this stage of the game,” Sally Whitson, founder of Christmas Amalgamated said. “It is time for us to start building hampers soon.”

The charity routinely helps thousands of families throughout the region with gifts and food throughout the holidays. This year, the food shelves are looking a little bare, so Whitson is hoping some of those food donations come in soon to help stock their Christmas Hampers.

“We need all the food for the hampers. Right from the turkeys, all the way down,” Whitson explained. “Some people use gift certificates. Some like to give the turkeys. And then there’s vegetables and the fancies — the apples, oranges, candies — the goodies.”

Often, these paramedics aren’t always dealing with people during happy moments of their lives. The event is an opportunity for Saat and the others to see the generosity of the Kamloops community, while being able to give back at Christmastime.

“We’d love to see people and have a chat with them and wish them all a Merry Christmas,” Saat said. “Hopefully, we can help out people that are a little less fortunate than we are.”