This could be last year for Quesnel Good Cheer !
The organization, now in its 62nd year, had to move out of the Maple Park Mall in August and will now be in a much smaller space in the West Park Mall.
Dianne Greenwood has been the Coordinator for the past 28 years…
“Because of our ages and health problems and everything, eight out of eleven of us cannot continue doing this heavy work, and we do have other volunteers but we’re between 68 and 90, and just too much heavy work for all of us.”
Greenwood says they were almost done this year as there just wasn’t a new location that could house all of their shelves for food, toys and other donations…
“We’re going to go in there to do up gift bags for the children, take names, and then the recipients, the singles and the couples and the families, will receive gift certificates for Save-On-Foods, and that’s the way we have to go to keep Good Cheer afloat this year.”
Greenwood says they no longer need food donations but cash, to help pay for the gift certificates…
“We always got money enough to cover 70 thousand dollars approximately in our grocery bill, but we had thirty or forty thousand dollars worth of food came into the depot, people walked it in and the food drives and the kids from the schools and the South Quesnel Business Association collecting all the food, we’re not going to have that this year.”
Greenood says they handed out 711 hampers last year and they were worth approximately 125 dollars each.
They will still be accepting toys for the kids.
She says those wanting to donate can send in a cheque to Box 4354 Quesnel, BC V2J 3J3, or drop their donation off when they open in the West Park Mall on December 1st.
Greenwood says they will be there until everything is picked up on December 21st and 22nd.