Christmas and charity go together like turkey and gravy for many North Shore residents.
Take a look inside the lit windows of North Shore Neighbourhood House on Dec. 25 and you will find the true meaning of Christmas. For more than two decades, the community hub on East Second Street has welcomed those who would otherwise be left out of Christmas.
In addition to immigrants, seniors, and people with limited financial means, the warm meal provided also caters to people who just need some company.
It’s thanks to the efforts of approximately 75 volunteers, many of whom return each December, that Christmas dinner comes together for those in need. Side-by-side, the volunteers baste, mash, simmer and chop in the Neighbourhood House kitchen on Christmas Eve.
The next morning they show up a little after 8 a.m. on Christmas Day to put the final touches on turkey dinner with all the trimmings for 200 guests.
“Without the volunteers and donors this day would not happen,” says North Shore Neighbourhood House executive director Lisa Hubbard.
For other local volunteers, Christmas can start as early as September – that’s when Family Services of the North Shore starts building up their Christmas Bureau, which aims to brighten the spirits of the less fortunate by giving families, seniors and those with disabilities a hamper filled with presents and a gift card for groceries.
Inside the old Delbrook rec centre, bells were jingling and shortbread cookies were being eaten, as a group of festively dressed volunteers gathered at Christmas Bureau headquarters around mid-October. Halloween hadn’t even hit yet, but the ample lead time is necessary to ensure 1,800 North Shore children, youth, adults and seniors can be supported through the bureau this season.
“I know there are really special things that we are doing here,” Family Services of the North Shore executive director Julia Staub-French told the more than 100 volunteers at the Christmas Bureau kickoff.
Brandy Hughes, a busy mom, logged the most volunteer hours last year. Her role was to greet clients as they checked in to the meticulously merchandised Christmas Bureau, a place where parents can pick out gifts for their kids.
“It’s magical when people walk in here,” says Hughes.
Fellow volunteer Maureen Ritchie has been coming back to the Christmas Bureau for six years, despite moving off the North Shore.
“I just do it because I love it, and I think it’s doing a lot of good for a lot of different people out there,” says Ritchie.
There is still time to help out the North Shore Christmas Bureau this season by sponsoring a family, dropping off unwrapped toys, or making a monetary donation at familyservices.bc.ca
