The 37th year of the Community Hamper Fund provided to be somewhat unusual.
Because of appeals form many charitable organizations in Campbell River for money and foodstuffs to help the less fortunate in our community at Christmas, the people of Campbell River rose to extraordinary heights when it came to being generous.
When it appeared, as one local paper put it, that the Hamper Fund was “in trouble” and might not realize its goal of providing a hamper to all who had applied, the subsequent outpouring of donations of both money and food to the depot bordered on being unbelievable.
As a result, there were 1,202 hampers delivered in time for Christmas to homes reaching a total of 4,083 persons.
The generosity was not limited to donations, however.
On Dec. 18, the cold, wet day for the delivery of the hampers, a large army of volunteers descended upon the depot to build and deliver the hampers. As one writer to a local paper put it, it looked like the “staging area for the invasion of Normandy.”
The 37 years of organizing experience was evident as all went off without a glitch.
It is indeed a “community” hamper fund as it is the people, businesses, service clubs, schools, labor, sports and church organizations of Campbell River which provide the toys, the donations of food and the money required to purchase whatever is needed to create a generous hamper.
Once again, on behalf of the less fortunate than ourselves in our community, the Community Hamper Fund and the Knights of Columbus wish you a very happy, healthy, prosperous New Year.
Theo Berns
Hamper Fund Chairman