Hundreds of hampers assembled by the Christmas Cheer Board of Winnipeg have not made their way to families in need, and with the countdown for Christmas entering its final days, the organization is hoping all perishable items can be donated.
After almost three weeks of handing out donations, Shawna Bell, the board's executive director, said the phone lines have stopped ringing, and they now have a surplus of 500 to 600 hampers sitting at their warehouse.
"We are working to try and get those out the door," she said.
Last year, the not-for-profit was forced to decline requests from families in Winnipeg last year after running out of hampers before the end of the holiday season.
"I felt a lot of the weight ... because it's important that we make sure families are looked after," Bell said.
Just over 20,000 hampers were distributed in 2023, and earlier projections suggest that not-for-profits would need more this season to address a surge in demand.
Extra food was ordered, and volunteers with the Christmas Cheer Board, its partnering programs, and private sponsors assembled roughly 21,000 hampers, Bell said.
The number of surplus hampers could be a result of stricter control over who is receiving them, Bell said.
The not-for-profit has worked with other outreach organizations to prevent "double-dipping," a practice where the same household gets hampers from different organizations.
Based on the address registered for the donations of other non-for-profits, Bell said the Cheer Board is taking some off their list of donations who have already been assigned a hamper.
"When someone takes more, someone else goes without, and that's a huge issue, especially when folks are looking at food insecurity right now," she said.
Another reason for the surplus is a reduction in the number of Ukrainian families applying for hampers this year, Bell said.
Shawna Bell, executive director of the Christmas Cheer Board, said the organization is working to get the hampers left to families in need, but any food left will be go back to the community through food banks. (Submitted by Shawna Bell)
Over the past two years, the Christmas Cheer Board received a high volume of requests from the Ukrainian community, but as its members settle in the city and join the workforce as full-time employees, fewer of them are seeking support to put food on their table.
But Bell said the need for donations is still there for thousands of families.
"The cost of food has really impacted so many people ... you're paying more for less, and that's not a good place for anyone," she said.
From 2021 to this year, the Cheer Board has increased the number of hampers by 4,000. Over time, the not-for-profit has also faced out some of its perishable items out of the hampers so donations can go a "little bit further," Bell said.
"It's not just about a holiday meal, it's about having enough food for the next week," she added.
The Cheer Board is receiving applications for hampers to families that haven't already received one. Those interested can call the not-for-profit or visit its warehouse on Century Street over the next week.
The hampers that are not delivered by the end of the holidays will be donated to Harvest Manitoba and other Winnipeg food banks.
"It will go back into the community 100 per cent," she said.