During a highly atypical holiday season, the Salvation Army is continuing their annual programs to help people in need.
The church’s Christmas hamper program and kettle drive is still taking place this year, following all provincial COVID-19 regulations and restrictions, along with an ongoing bag lunch program.
The hamper program will see the most change - only five volunteers are allowed to be inside the Salvation Army church to put the hampers together at a time, putting some pressure on the volunteers packing the hampers. Each hamper will include the makings of a full Christmas dinner, including a turkey and fixings, along with some staple foods like butter, jam, bread, milk and the like.
“Everything you would need for a turkey dinner is in there,” said Major Barbara Bain.
“They just come to the front door, we take their information, and then they go back into their car - they don’t actually come into the building, they’re just inside the front door there. They take their car around the other side and pick up their hamper. Everything is different this year - usually they come into the building to get their hamper, but they’re not allowed because we’re only allowed five people in the building.”
Registrations for the hampers can be done Nov. 24-26 from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. by calling (204) 687-7812. The hampers will be picked up at different times in communities around Flin Flon. People in Denare Beach can pick up a hamper in the DenarePlex parking lot from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Dec. 16, while people in Cranberry Portage can pick up their hampers from 4 p.m.-5 p.m. at the local Legion hall. Flin Flonners in the program can pick up their hampers Dec. 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m, while anyone in Sherridon will have their hamper delivered Dec. 15.
The group has also continued its food program from the summer, moving from providing soup for the homeless to making bag lunches for families without enough to eat.
“If families want a bag lunch, they would have to call the Salvation Army, give us their information and we would deliver a bag lunch to them,” Bain said.
Those who are hungry can pick up their lunch at the St. Peter and St. James Anglican Church uptown Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
As with any event during COVID-19, the program may change depending on health orders and the local situation regarding the disease. However, Bain doesn’t predict there should be much change to the program as it stands now.
“I don’t see things changing too quickly,” she said.
Sally Ann will also be holding the annual kettle drive at Walmart and the North of 53 Consumer’s Co-op, then at RBC Bank in December. Kettlers will need to stay six feet away from the kettles.
