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Giving Tree season begins
Giving Tree season begins for County of Lamont food bank
BY JANA SEMENIUK
The County of Lamont Foodbank, with the help of local businesses, have begun their annual Giving Tree campaign for the Christmas season.
County of Lamont Foodbank Chair Jody Zachoda explained that the Giving Tree is a tremendous help to families for the holidays.
“(People would) most certainly be amazed (to see how many use the foodbank at Christmas). It's always surprising and Christmas is hard,” she said. “The price of gas, the price of groceries and household utilities keep going up and trying to provide something special or extra in the month of December can be very taxing. A lot of people don't get as many hours at work in December because some places close between Christmas and New Year’s, so you're already short of money and then you have to find some extra somewhere. It's very difficult.”
The Giving Tree program is where an organization sets up a Christmas Tree in their building and decorate it with tags, provided by the FoodBank, that have the age and gender of a child listed on each one.
Anyone can pick up as many tags as they would like, purchase a gift for the child described on the tag, and then put the unwrapped gift, with the tag attached, under the tree. Food Bank representatives come on a regular basis to pick up the gifts for distribution in their Christmas Hampers.
Zachoda said that currently there are four businesses participating in the Giving Tree Program: Lamont Home Hardware, Lamont Trendy Petals, Lamont Value Drug Mart and the Town of Bruderheim’s town office.
Allen Franchuk, owner of the Lamont Home Hardware, said this is the fifth year he has participated in the Giving Tree program, and he believes the program is important for children.
“I think it's important that all the kids have a present to open up on Christmas morning,” he said. “(The response from people) has been really good.”
Zachoda echoed Franchuk’s statement, saying that although they have never been short of gifts since the Giving Tree began, they will use cash donations to help purchase gifts if needed.
Meanwhile, Zachoda said that any business can join and can contact her by phone through the County of Lamont Foodbank’s website to participate.
Locals appointed to task force for Ukrainian resettlement
BY JOHN MATHER
Fort Saskatchewan Vegrevillle MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk has been tasked to head up a new committee, by Premier Danielle Smith, to further help with the settlement of Ukrainian refugees across Alberta.
“Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Albertans have opened their hearts and homes and provided support through donations and humanitarian aid,” Smith said in a news release announcing the formation of this new task force.
“This new task force is yet another way Albertans stand with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.”
After already committing $23 million to help Ukrainians both overseas and in Canada, Alberta launched a new task force Nov. 10 to explore what more can be done.
Alberta has already committed $16 million for humanitarian aid, $5 million for defence equipment for Ukrainian soldiers, and more than $2 million for settlement and language programs for newcomers.
“The ideas and information gathered by this group will help identify gaps in existing supports and ensure Ukrainian evacuees face a smooth and welcoming resettlement process,” said Armstrong-Homeniuk.
She's been appointed parliamentary secretary for Ukrainian Refugee Settlement.
Other members of the committee include former premier Ed Stelamch, non-profit executive and emergency management specialist, Sally Mansour; firefighter and Firefighter Aid Ukraine project director, Kevin Royle; founder of Helping Ukrainians in Fort Saskatchewan founder, Carol Slukynski; chairman of the supervisory board at the National Depository Ukraine, Vitaliy Milentyev; and Lethbridge city councillor, Jenn SchmidtRempel.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February and an American Army Gen. estimated this week that nearly 250,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed since.
Alberta is home to more than 369,000 people of Ukrainian descent.
To hear directly from the Ukrainian community and those supporting newcomers, the task force is expected to hold roundtables across the province. It is expected to make both immediate and long-term recommendations in its final report. (L-R) County of Lamont Food bank volunteer Valerie Nimchuk, Allen Franchuk owner of the Lamont Home Hardware, and County of Lamont Food Bank chair Jody Zachoda. Zachoda and Nimchuk delivered Franchuk's tree tags Nov. 14 for his Giving Tree; a program that collects donated gifts for children and is distributed to Christmas Hampers from the Food Bank. Photo: Jana Semeniuk
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