Work is underway at local charities to ensure vulnerable Edmontonians are able to enjoy the holidays like everyone else. “We’re still in the thick of our applications for the clients that we serve, but we’re in the middle of planning all of our fundraising events,” said the president of the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton, Stephanie Perilli. “We’ve got so many incredible community events coming up. The next couple of weeks are going to be absolutely crazy.” “It’s very busy, very hectic,” echoed the Bissell Centre’s Kelly Hoskins, director of resource development. “But we really love it because it’s filled with so much joy and caring in the community.” CTV News Edmonton spoke to three organizations that help Edmontonians celebrate the holidays: the Bissell Centre, which runs a toy drive and a donation-matching campaign for child care; the Christmas Bureau, which runs festive food hamper and grocery gift card programs; and the local Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters (BGCBigs) chapter, which has helped organize Bell Media’s Toy Mountain toy drive for 10 years. All three are relying on the public’s support more than ever, as the level of need has continued to grow. BGCBigs has served 4,500 kids in the last year, which is up from the previous year. Not only is demand increasing, but so is the complexity of needs. Its fund development manager Leah Oakley said, “We’ve been challenged – like everybody else – to meet that rising need. Our food program is more expensive. Things even as simple as our rent, we’re challenged like every organization in the city right now.” According to Perilli, the Christmas Bureau has received thousands of applications for its festive food hamper and grocery card programs. The organization estimates one in seven Edmontonians, or 130,000 people, are living in poverty. “As much as we would love to be able to help all of them, we do have limited resources,” she said. “We rely so much on the community. If you can make a gift that is meaningful to you, whatever that means, it’s going to make such a huge impact in the lives of so many people in our community.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sasha Pietramala
