Christmas in July is a marketing scheme we often see.
But here in St. Albert, we might need to move the concept up a bit more. As Angela Lansbury sang: We need a little Christmas — more to the point, we need a little of that Christmas giving spirit — now.
This Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., the Service Clubs of St. Albert will be out in front of every grocery store in town soliciting donations for the St. Albert Food Bank.
Sadly, the need for the Food Bank’s services is greater than ever before and at the same time donations have currently slowed down. The effects of inflation in general, increased pressure on housing costs and skyrocketing energy costs which we’ve chronicled in our pages in recent weeks, are affecting everyone at once.
For those with less income security, it’s not a question of putting off a holiday or going out to eat less frequently; it’s a question of whether to pay the power bill or go to the grocery store.
That pressure lands squarely on our Food Bank, making Saturday’s drive all the more critical.
We’re lucky to have as many service clubs as we do to step up to meet this need and help gather those donations. The Lions, Eagles, Kinsmen, Rotary, Rotaract, Kinettes, Legion, Optimists and Cosmopolitans will be on hand all over St. Albert to accept those much-needed donations.
Like the Food Bank they’re helping, those service clubs are facing new challenges as well. Service organizations everywhere find themselves with fewer able hands to help on the many worthy community projects as long-time volunteers take a well-earned rest, and St. Albert is no exception.
Which gives you another way to show your early Christmas spirit. At the same time as you drop off a bag of groceries for the Food Bank, have a chat with the folks taking your donation and find out about all the other amazing things they’re doing to make St. Albert a better place to be – and consider joining them.
Finally on the same day, the St. Albert Sturgeon Hospice Association’s Hike or Bike for Hospice event culminates in a community get-together at Kingswood Park between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in an effort to raise funds for the Foyer Lacombe Hospice’s new “smart beds”, allowing those in our community who need it to enjoy better quality end-of-life care.
So whether it’s of your time, your money or your food donations, this Saturday is the perfect moment to consider giving.
Consider it an early Christmas present to your community.
