The challenges facing the Society of Saint-Vincent de Paul are enormous as requests for Christmas baskets skyrocket, although the organization already expects to raise $225,000 less than last year.
• Also read: Media Food Drive: Significant drop in donations this year
• Also read: Media Food Drive: 75% reduction in donations during street collection
“The goal this year is $500,000 and last year we raised $725,000. We lowered the target to reflect reality,” explains Jean-Luc Lavoie, President of the Society of Saint-Vincent de Paul in Quebec, who points to the increase in the cost of living.
“We have requests for 12,000 Christmas baskets; during the pandemic it was 10,000 baskets,” he continues.
Far from being discouraged, Mr. Lavoie is counting on dozens of volunteers hard at work this weekend at the Campanile and Quatre-Bourgeois IGAs and Metro Ferland.
A total of 4,800 volunteers are collecting donations for the organization’s 161st Guignolée, which will be held at 61 collection points through December 31st. The baskets will be distributed from mid-December.
A timely check
Photo Louis Deschenes
Geneviève Guilbault, deputy prime minister and Louis-Hébert’s MNA, and Alexia Lévesque-Côté, a young volunteer, collected donations at a grocery store in Sainte-Foy on Saturday.
Louis-Hébert’s MNA, Geneviève Guilbault, came to support the volunteers in their riding at the Coop IGA in Sainte-Foy on Saturday.
The deputy prime minister notes that the need is even greater this year amid inflation, which is hitting not only the poorest but average families hard.
Ms. Guilbault believes the $400 or $600 check paid to citizens earning less than $100,000 is timely. “Everyone gets their check at Christmas, which was very important to us […]. Christmas dinner will cost a little more than last year, so this check will help people and it was also the idea of giving people cash,” the MP said.
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?