Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
This year’s fundraising campaigns for the West Nipissing Fire Service’s Santa Fund have concluded, bringing in a total of $26,094 towards their upcoming delivery of Christmas baskets for local families in need. According to WNFS Chief Frank Loeffen, the Holiday Smile Cookie campaign brought in $6,325; their online silent auction another $5,825; and the radiothon pledges a final $13,944. While those campaigns require plenty of work to put on, Loeffen says that the next steps over the coming two weeks are going to require “a lot of elves.”
The application process to receive a basket is still open, but the chief says that they are looking to finalize their client list by Monday, December 15. The deadline isn’t rigid, he admits, stating that sometimes they get the occasional last-minute application due to unforeseen circumstances happening for some families. However, he and the team of volunteers have a lot more work to do, and finalizing the list as best they can, is crucial. “We’ve got to start placing the orders for the food and stuff,” says Loeffen, pointing out that requires them to know how much they need so local stores can get the required food from their suppliers.
Loeffen says delivery of the Santa Fund baskets is slated for Sunday, December 21, and Monday, December 22. Between closing applications and getting items gathered, packed, and ready for delivery, this leaves only about 5 days. “Next week we’ll be going to Giant Tiger, going to Metro, Red Apple, No Frills, the Co-op in Verner,” he describes. While volunteers are busy doing this “scavenger hunt” for the items going into the baskets, some will be equally busy getting Station 1B, on Cache Bay Road in Sturgeon Falls, ready as the staging ground for the packing and deliveries. That means clearing out the equipment parked in the garage bays, plenty of cleaning, and getting tables set up for the volunteers who will be working the “assembly lines.”
