Empty Stocking Fund: Salvation Military Ridge Meadows opens its Christmas Village for the needy

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Mary Lou Drescher volunteers with The Salvation Military Ridge Meadows year-round, normally within the shelter’s kitchen. At Christmas, she usually helps with the group’s large Christmas Day dinner. This yr marked her first time working at its Christmas Village.

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“They arrange a big room as a little bit of a retailer for people to come back in and do some looking for their households,” she stated. “The volunteers assist folks with their buying. It’s very well-organized.”

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For 105 Years, The Province’s Empty Stocking Fund has been devoted to creating the vacations brighter for B.C. residents who’re much less lucky. With the generosity of our readers and supporters, the fund offers cash to 26 B.C. group organizations that present meals hampers and items to youngsters, needy households, and singles. These organizations embrace the Salvation Military.

“Funds from the Empty Stocking Fund will likely be put instantly in the direction of the Salvation Military’s Christmas Village program,” Maj. Dave Macpherson, executive-director of The Salvation Military Ridge Meadows, stated in a press release.

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“At a time when giving is a problem for many, the Empty Stocking Fund offers a chance to make Christmas goals come true for a lot of.”

In accordance with Fundraising Coordinator Amelia Norrie, The Salvation Military Ridge Meadows is seeing a rise in demand this yr — a lot in order that they needed to cap the Christmas Village program at 400 registrants.

Households come into the Village, positioned on the group’s workplaces, for reward playing cards and toys, in addition to home items. They’re given a sure variety of factors they’ll use towards reward playing cards or selecting gadgets from the Christmas Village.

“I discovered that the households would usually spend most of their factors on the children, selecting out video games and toys,” stated Drescher, a former registered nurse who has been retired for seven years. “They appeared actually completely happy to have the ability to select what they have been getting.”

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The temper was festive, she says.

“Folks have been very completely happy. You can simply inform that they have been having fun with the expertise. They have been very appreciative of the initiative.”

For her Christmas, she and her husband will host a household Christmas Eve dinner at their residence.

“Our kids are grown up and so they produce other households to see on Christmas Day. We’ll alternate items, too, nevertheless it’s smaller as a result of we’re extra focussed on the grandchildren and fewer on the adults.”

Schedule allowing, she and her husband can even attempt to attend a church service.

Their Christmas traditions used to incorporate watching The Grinch Who Stole Christmas with their children. Now, their grandkids go to see the 2004 animated movie The Polar Specific.

“My son has taken his children two years in a row, and I feel my daughter’s taking her a bit woman this yr as effectively.”

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Christmas baking can be on the agenda. The grandkids will assist with the adorning.

Drescher says that she hadn’t been requested to volunteer on the Salvation Military’s Christmas dinner this yr. If earlier years are something to go by, it will likely be busy.

“They get lots of people coming in for that. They do plenty of pre-orders, making stuff prematurely and so they have assist in the kitchens to make the stuffing and lower up the bread and peel the potatoes. It’s an enormous manufacturing, normally for about 90-100 folks. That kitchen is already fairly busy as a result of they’ve individuals who reside there within the shelter. They do group lunches and dinners just about each day. The Christmas dinner will likely be fairly large.”

The Province’s Empty Stocking Fund marketing campaign runs till Dec. 31.

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Donations will be made by:

On-line at: https://theprovince.com/esf

By mail to: The Province Empty Stocking Fund

968 East Cordova St., Vancouver, B.C., V6A 1M6

By calling: 604-253-6911

2023 direct donation hyperlink: https://safe.e2rm.com/registrant/DonationPage.aspx?eventid=385682

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