For this Christmas season, 16 volunteers lent a hand wrapping 78 gifts that were donated for children (16 years and under) registered with the Family Resource Centre and the Child Action Pan committee.
The Christmas gifts program is run by the Filling the Gap organization which prepares Christmas food hampers for families in need in the immediate area. The wrapping bee for the gifts was organized by Aileen Lubiniecki and was held at the Grace United Church in Sturgis on December 15. The following day, the volunteers filled 42 food hampers.
"The number of people utilizing the program has been huge this year," said Karolyn Kosheluk of the Family Resource Centre. "The program is more widely accepted and more families feel more comfortable using the program that reaches a large area including Sturgis, Preeceville, Danbury, Hazel Dell and Endeavour."
The Centre has been instrumental in developing and adapting the very successful local food bank system, called Filling the Gap, for the Christmas gifts and food hamper programs. Filling the Gap works primarily under the direction of the local ministerial association, with strong support from community service groups, churches, schools and individuals.
The Family Resource Centre has been a place to ask questions and to seek information for families, youth and seniors, who are not certain where to access government support programs, social services, educational opportunities and health services that do not exist in our local area, Kosheluk said. The Family Resource Centre helps to find the resources needed and helps to connect people with those services.
