Empty Stocking Fund: Archway Group Companies helps Abbotsford residents via the vacation season

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When Amanda Paquette moved to Abbotsford from the Okanagan final 12 months, she wasn’t certain if she was going to have the ability to afford a Christmas.

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“December is all the time a decent month,” stated the mother-of-four.

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She discovered assist at Archway Group Companies. Offering providers in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission and Langley, the social providers company operates a meals financial institution and, at Christmas time, a toy bureau.

“I went to them with out an appointment, they usually have been very useful,” Paquette stated. “Everybody I handled was very nice and really form.”

Archway offered the brand new Abbotsfordian with a meals hamper and toys for the children.

“The toy a part of it was very well-organized,” Paquette stated. “That they had completely different sections with age-appropriate toys for every of the children. And somebody walked me via so I might select a few toys from the age-appropriate areas for the youthful children. And, for my older children, they’d present playing cards, which was good. As a result of youngsters will not be significantly simple to buy.”

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A number of the toys come from the Decrease Mainland Christmas Bureau. The LMCB is partly funded by The Province Empty Stocking Fund, which distributes readers’ donations to numerous non-profit teams to enhance the vacations for hundreds of households.

Archway program director Rebecca Thuro expects that the non-profit will assist upwards of 1,500 households this December.

“Final 12 months, there have been the floods, and we have been nonetheless within the midst of the pandemic,” Thuro stated. “I believe we served just below 5,000. It was an excessive situation with an enormous inflow of individuals.”

About 150 volunteers will assist pack meals hampers and manage toys. Archway additionally has a seasonal sponsorship program the place teams, companies and people can help a family. Final 12 months, 240 sponsors helped 300 households within the space. The sponsors are given a household’s want checklist of presents and meals after which they purchase the requested gadgets and ship them to the family.

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“It’s actually a magical expertise. Whenever you assist somebody outdoors of your personal circle you by no means know what you’re going to open your self as much as.”

One other Abbotsford resident, Andrea Davison, has been receiving assist from Archway for 4 years. For 2 of them, she has been getting deliveries. The 50-year-old has arthritis in her decrease again, which hinders her mobility.

She additionally has Celiac illness, so Archway consists of gluten-free gadgets within the hampers, plus meals for her three cats: a calico named Willow and two tabbies, Clo and Nikki.

“Every hamper is a delight to open as a result of there’s all the time a bit of deal with in there,” says Davison, who’ll be spending her Christmas along with her daughter and two granddaughters.

“And at Christmas there’s all the time one thing further. I really like getting my Christmas hamper due to the additional issues that are available in it.”

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