WESTLOCK – Westlock and District Family and Community Support Services' (FCSS) annual Christmas spirit program is expected to help more families and individuals in need this holiday season.
The annual program helps residents in the Town of Westlock, Westlock County and the Village of Clyde and runs from Nov. 14 - Dec. 12. Through this program, families and individuals receive a helping hand at Christmas with food vouchers and toys.
With so many people struggling this year, FCSS is preparing for a busy program over the next several weeks as applications begin to pour in.
“I do anticipate numbers increasing (when) you look at the cost of food, utilities, gas and everything like that,” said FCSS program coordinator Maureen Schiller. “I really think that people are struggling and they’re not going to have that extra money for presents or food.”
Residents can call the Westlock and District FCSS to book an appointment to complete an application for the program, and when approved, they will be given a pre-arranged time to do some Christmas shopping at the Rotary Spirit Centre. “People are given the option if they want to come in and shop for their kids,” said Schiller. “So they will come and shop for items, and they will get the voucher for food and go home with some gifts for the family.”
Another important part of the Christmas Spirit Program is the ‘Adopt a Family’ option, noted Schiller, where people are matched with a family they wish to adopt for Christmas and are provided with some details about the family and gift suggestions before purchasing a gift card for food and some gifts for the kids.
Last year, the program helped 275 people, which included 109 applications (families) in total, and with the cost of living increasing dramatically over the past several months, FCSS is anticipating more need this year. They are encouraging Westlock and area residents to donate toys and cash to the program this season.
Several community events are also helping the program, including the ‘Cram-A-Cruiser’ event that was held on Nov. 24. The partnership fundraiser between Westlock County, Town of Westlock and the RCMP collected items for the Christmas spirit program. In addition, Giant Tiger in Westlock is accepting toy donations and cash donations at the checkout.
“Families don’t just get toys, they also get food vouchers so this year we’re (encouraging) people to make cash donations to help with the food part of the program,” said Schiller, noting people can also drop off donations at the FCSS office in the Heritage Building or visit their website www.westlockfcss.com.
“In our office we’re seeing way more people coming in with high needs,” said Schiller. “Or that are just really struggling and just wanting somebody to talk to or see what benefits are out there.”
