Stony Plain Kinsmen Christmas Hampers

The 42nd edition of Kinsmen Christmas Hampers service project has been
like none of the forty-one that have gone before. In the year of COVID-19
and all the protocols and restrictions that it placed on every aspect of our
society, every Kinsmen stepped up and did the necessary pivot to make sure
that this service project not only survived but thrived.
The 2020 Christmas Hamper project turned out to be terrifically successful!
Some of the challenges presented new opportunities. For example, the
distribution of the food portion of the hampers was handled by the Parkland
Food Bank. Some commented that they missed the camaraderie generated
when up to 200 volunteers gathered at the Stony Plain Pavilion to receive,
sort, and redistribute literally tonnes of donated food items. The amount of
human resources needed on-site were drastically cut yet it was evident
through conversations with the community they felt very involved due to the
high visibility of the project. Sixty (60) local businesses and all the Stony Plain
schools served as key drop off locations. Red Apple Store and Safeway
Canada provided us with an opportunity for face to face interaction with our
community.
There were huge savings of space, packaging, sore backs and feet.
Generally, it was acknowledged that Parkland Food Bank knows the food
distribution business better than us and distribution of the “upsized”
December food hampers appears to have gone without any major hitches.
Hampers were available each day from Dec 1- 23. This gave recipients a
whole range of convenient days to pick up as opposed to the one day that
we provided in the past.
“Upsized” food hamper refers to the envelope that was supplied to the food
bank by both the Kinsmen and Kinettes. In addition to an extra amount of
food items, each recipient client/family received a food give card, a Tri
Leisure Pass, and a note explaining that the upsizing came from the Kinsmen
and Kinettes.
The estimated number of families was 675. It is anticipated that the
community’s generosity will cover 100% of this years’ service project!!
Stony Plain Kinsmen