Family advocate calls for more help as Cheer Board denies some applicants seeking multiple hampers

The Christmas Cheer Board says it's taking steps to make sure all its commitments are fulfilled during its busy season, but at least one community advocate says there has to be a better way to support Winnipeg families during the holidays.

Record demand forced the organization to stop taking hamper applications earlier than usual in 2023. Phone lines for this year will open Tuesday.

Executive director Shawna Bell said clients "were completely devastated" by last year's early closure.

To make sure no one misses out on a hamper, which includes food and gifts for children, Bell said the Cheer Board will be checking whether people are getting a hamper elsewhere before handing them out.

"If they're only being supplied with a couple different food items, we certainly don't want to discount them from getting something from us," she said. "But if it is a complete hamper like the ones we give out, then we would be taking them off the list." 

Last year, about half of people who had signed up with another organization giving out about 800 hampers also applied to receive one from the Christmas Board, Bell said.

After comparing the lists, Bell said some applications were removed from the Cheer Board's database so they wouldn't receive more than one hamper.

"In addition to that, some of the other organizations that we were working with, we found duplications as well," she said. "So you're probably looking at about 600 to 700 duplicates."

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But Mary Burton with Zoongizi Ode, a local community advocacy organization, said checking for duplicates is "ridiculous" when all the families who would be applying for hampers are doing so because they're in need.

"Larger families … they need the help," Burton said.

"They only have so many donations.… They have to stretch it. I understand that. But to say that just because the person's going to another organization to get a hamper, that they can't get one … that's not the spirit of Christmas."

Food bank usage on the rise

The latest HungerCount report from Food Banks Canada said there were more than two million food bank visits across the country in March of this year, the highest number ever recorded.

Harvest Manitoba said earlier this week well over 50,000 Manitobans rely on them every month. 

Bell said she can't hold it against anybody who is looking in a number of different areas "just to be able to have some relief from that stress," but also said the Christmas Cheer Board needs to help as many people as it can and "we can't do that if we're giving out multiple hampers." 

Burton said that if the board can't meet the demand, they should be reaching out to the province or other levels of government for help.

"You need to try and make sure that if your demand is high, that you need to fill that demand," she said.

The Christmas Cheer Board will be posting information about duplicate hampers on its website this week, and Bell said if people will also be told about it on the phone when they call to place their order. Bell said someone if someone was taken off the list for a hamper, they would be notified about the change.

Last year marked the first time in the Cheer Board's more than 100-year operational history that it wasn't able to take hamper applications up until Dec. 23. 

The board reached 20,500 hamper applications by the afternoon of Dec. 20, 2023, which was an increase of almost 2,000 from the year prior.

"We're projecting that we'll be above that number," Bell said, adding that the board remains ready to help those who need it this holiday season. 

"We know that folks still need us, and we'll be here as long as they do," she said.

Demand has Christmas Cheer Board trying to reduce number of families getting multiple hampers

23 days ago

Duration 2:31

In an effort to ensure everyone who needs a hamper gets one, the Christmas Cheer Board says it will be checking their list of applicants with other organizations to reduce the number of families getting hampers from multiple organizations.