Hundreds of hampers spreading holiday cheer in the Comox Valley
More than 500 households in the Comox Valley received a fresh supply of food and gifts Wednesday morning as part of an annual Christmas hamper campaign.
“The camaraderie is fantastic," says Brenda Latta, who has volunteered with the annual hamper drive for the past eight years.
"We are also in the stage of our life where we have the time and the joy to do so."
She’s part of the volunteer team that includes her husband, Steve Latta.
“There is a core of us of about 20 or 25," he says. "We have a bunch of volunteers that show up that have done this in the past on this specific day, so they kind of know what they have to do."
The annual appeal began back in the 1980s in a private home and then expanded to warehouses under a pair of realtors.
"Brent and Donna Cunliffe did a fantastic job but they were realtors at the same time and they found it hard," says lead volunteer Ken Jones. "The first year, my wife and I, we volunteered and we helped in the warehouse and at the end of that year Brent said to me, ‘Ken, I would like you to run it from now on.'"
Jones says preparations for the hampers begins in September and includes community support by businesses like Canadian Tire, which offers up reusable totes on a two-for-one basis, as well as schools that collect many of the donated food items.
Jones says 556 hampers were distributed this year and that’s about the maximum the volunteers can handle.
“It’s about where we really want to be," he says.
The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on volunteers assembling the hampers, according to Brenda. But she says the group has rebounded.
"Almost everyone is back now,” she says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.