'The people of Sooke are super generous': Residents pitch in for food bank's hamper fund
Shelves are being stocked at the Sooke Food Bank in preparation for the upcoming Christmas hamper season.
“We’re (at) about 300 to 350 for hampers,” said Ben Molesky, director of the Sooke Food Bank.
That’s up from last year's 250, and it's still only November.
With other charities around the capital region hitting capacity, the demand is expected to climb.
“I’m thinking it will be around (another) 10 to 15 per cent,” said Molesky.
It’s an increase that the food bank director says will be met. But it’s going to take a little help from community partners, beginning with the local fire department.
“We have a multi-prong approach,” said Heather Lane, a firefighter with Sooke Fire Rescue.
“We do a 'fill a fire truck' campaign for three weeks.”
For that campaign, members are posted outside of grocery stores, collecting money for the food bank.
On Dec. 10, the department will embark on a door-to-door campaign, coving the entire District of Sooke, asking for donation for the Christmas Bureau.
“We are giving gifts for all families who ask for them,” said Molesky.
To help in that department, the food bank has partnered with the local Pharmasave to run a program called "Tags for Trees."
“Basically, you can come in here and you can grab a tag off the tree and you can make somebody’s Christmas wish come true,” said Deanna Brett, front store manager at Pharmasave in Sooke.
Find a tag with a gift wish on it and purchase the present.
“You can leave it at Pharmasave and we’ll make sure it gets to the right organization,” said Brett. “So it gets into the right happy little hands for Christmas.”
There are two trees, one for the food bank and another for Ayre Manor, which is an assisted-living home for seniors in Sooke.
“Which is extremely thoughtful and it’s very nice to see,” said Molesky. “The people of Sooke are super generous.”
As pressures continue to grow, the community of Sooke is coming together, to make sure every family has a merry Christmas this year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
'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.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, 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.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Getting the lowest mortgage rates in a high interest rate world
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.