Community demonstrates holiday spirit through kindness

Opinion

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This article was published 23/12/2022 (731 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“Brandon is a pretty great place to live.”

— Synthia Wright, social media manager for Brandon and Westman Christmas Cheer

Brandon and Westman Christmas Cheer have a lot to be cheerful about this year, after donations and the spirit of volunteerism shone extra brightly this season.

The goodwill organization announced this past week it had not only met but surpassed its fundraising goal for 2022, allowing it to provide even more help to those who are in need.

The original goal of $65,000 set in November when the campaign launched was eclipsed by the generosity of the many good people in our communities who pushed well past that marker. In past years, the organization has set a $60,000 fundraising goal, but revised the target this year to account for the effects of inflation on food prices.

The final tally came to $85,430, as per the Christmas Cheer Facebook page.

According to Christmas Cheer treasurer Bob Walberg, the money raised each year is put into a chequing account to be used in the next year’s campaign. While this year’s 1,412 prepared hampers came out of last year’s funding efforts, Walberg told the Sun that by exceeding the fundraising goal this year, it’s more likely they will be able to meet next year’s expectations.

It’s also worth noting that last week Wednesday, Christmas Cheer issued a call for volunteer drivers after snowfall from the previous night had meant that more than a third of people signed up to deliver hampers that day were unable to make it.

According to Synthia Wright, so many people showed up to help that all 1,189 hampers had been picked up from their headquarters for delivery by 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

Ms. Wright is quite correct — Brandon is a wonderful place to live; it’s full of caring people who do their best to help those in need. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of this fact, because in our day-to-day lives it’s easy to forget. We see this compassion every day here in Brandon as volunteers with the Bear Clan walk the streets to ensure those who are among the most needing of help and attention are taken care of.

We see it in the warm smiles of people who volunteer their time during the Westman and Area Traditional Christmas Dinner. As you can read in today’s paper, at least one hundred volunteers had come forward to help in potato preparation, and another 300 volunteers will be there to cook, serve and take calls for delivery. This after calls went out earlier this month for more volunteers to help make the magic happen.

It’s also worth remembering why this uniquely Brandon event started in the first place. It began in 1985 by Rocky Addison in a little church on the corner of Eighth Street and Victoria Avenue on Dec. 25, with the hope of providing some seasonal love, friendship, and community to all who need it at this time of year — and, of course, a full turkey dinner to go with it. Remember the motto: no one should be alone at Christmas.

And then there’s those stories that happen right around the holidays that give you both a laugh and a warm feeling inside — something we have all been in serious need of this year.

A local Facebook group, People of Brandon, had been raising money for Brandon and Westman Christmas Cheer by raffling off a beloved snack that can no longer be found on Canadian shelves. Oddly enough, Bugles, the cone-shaped corn chips that have often ended up in trail mix and school lunches for decades, are no longer sold in this country. What better product to raffle off for charity? Clearly, this is a Canadian idea.

People of Brandon administrator Amber Burchart decided to raffle off a 212-gram bag of the corny treat that had been donated as part of the group’s Christmas hamper drive. Half of the proceeds were to go to Christmas Cheer and the remaining half toward the Christmas hampers.

“You wouldn’t even believe how wide my eyes lit up when I looked through the bag that was dropped off and I saw that in there,” Burchart told the Sun.

After that idea took off, a generous donor — Megan Irving of Random Acts of Kindness Brandon — gave the group a second bag of bugles.

Then of course, Star FM Brandon got into the action on Dec. 22 and announced the station was auctioning off six family-sized bags in support of Samaritan House food bank. Talk about jumping on a bandwagon — it’s a “bugle” after all.

Like all communities, Brandon has several problems it must address in the coming year. From homelessness and drug addictions to mental health issues and so other many things that make us struggle to find answers.

But year over year we have seen what is possible when we unite for common cause. If we can find it within ourselves to come together to do some good when our better angels call upon to do so at the Christmas season, perhaps we can find it within ourselves to do more throughout the year that will lessen the burden a little for those who need a hand up.

To all our readers, we wish you a Merry Christmas, and a little more cheer for 2023.

» Matt Goerzen, editor