Help for the holidays
Fund ensures North Sydney families have Christmas dinner
An initiative to help ensure residents have a special dinner on their tables for Christmas is in full swing.
The Christmas Cheer Dinner Fund is preparing for the holiday season, collecting donations and food items for those needing assistance.
Constance Nickerson has been volunteering with the program since its beginning, something she enjoys doing each year.
“It gives me a little satisfaction and the hope that nobody is going hungry during Christmas,” said the 95-year-old senior. “My big thing is I don’t want anyone not to have Christmas dinner.”
The Christmas Cheer Dinner Fund was formed in 1996 as an offshoot of the North Sydney Food Bank.
Volunteers at the food bank as well as members from community churches came together to form the program, with the objective to raise money to fund Christmas dinner for members of the North Sydney community.
Nickerson had helped with a similar program at a church in Saint John, N.B., a community where she lived prior to moving to Cape Breton.
“Christmas has always been a special time for me, even as a young lady and growing up,” said Nickerson. “We want to make sure that everyone has a good Christmas — seeing everyone having a good Christmas makes my Christmas.”
Each year in November, Nickerson sends out letters to local churches as well as community members and organizations, seeking money and/or food donations for the program.
Once money is collected, volunteers purchase the food through local grocery stores and begin packing the Christmas dinner boxes in preparation for distribution.
Lawrence Shebib, co-chair of the North Sydney Food Bank, said the committee sees an increase in those needing assistance each year.
He figures about five tons of food is distributed to the community through the program each year, serving between 250300 family units.
“There are over 200 participants right now registered and we’re expecting more to register within the coming weeks,” he said. “Last year we served 272 people, so our numbers are increasing all the time.”
Program participants will receive a dinner box filled with different kinds of food, including a turkey, to help with Christmas dinner.
Following the initial registration, people can now register for the program each Friday from 1-3 p.m. at the North Sydney Food Bank.
Registration only requires a person’s name, address and the number of people in the family.
“There’s no means test, we
don’t ask people what they have home in their fridge,” said Nickerson. “I couldn’t tell you the name of one person who’s used the program in all the years I’ve done this — the names don’t matter as long as people have something to eat.”
The program will accept registration until Christmas dinner boxes are distributed on Dec. 22.
For more information about the program or how to make a donation, contact the North Sydney Food Bank at 902-7941104.