With Christmas mere days away, it seems a very fitting time to look back on what a splendid fall it was in Chatham-Kent.
We’re not talking about the weather – although that was just fine as well – but rather the giving spirit of the community.
Union Gas staff, retirees and corporate overseers donated more than $600,000 to the United Way. That’s a third of the campaign goal coming from one company.
But the smaller-scale giving is also worth mentioning; the help on a more personal level.
There are Alyah and Noah Detailleur, two adolescents who collected enough non-perishable food items and toiletries to fill the back of a pickup truck. They donated it all to help stock the shelves at the Salvation Army food bank.
Or there are the groups and organizations that donate to the Chatham-Kent Children’s Services’ Christmas Project, which provides toys to the children that are in their system. St. Andrew’s Residence, from its staff and residents to their families, donated toys for three siblings in that project.
How about the members of the Chatham-Kent Police Service? The officers, staff, association and board members contribute annually to purchase toys for the Salvation Army to hand out to families in need.
And then there are the Chatham Goodfellows, who every year work to ensure no child goes without a Christmas in Chatham and families in need also receive food baskets.
It’s a huge undertaking, and one that is accomplished with an army of well-organized volunteers. From the Porchlight and recently completed Street Sales campaigns to the toy and food packing, and then delivery, it is a great deal of work, with an incredible pay off – the sight of happy faces for families who needed a hand up this holiday season.
Chatham-Kent has its share of grumblers and complainers, but we have more than our share of givers, and they show up in droves at this time of the year.
Even if it’s a toonie dropped into a Salvation Army red kettle, it all counts. And it’s all appreciated.
