Hundreds of families rely on the Winkler And District Christmas Cheer Board to make their holidays bright, and more than ever, the volunteer organization is relying on the community to make that possible.

Spokesperson Lori Derksen says, with COVID-19 protocols in mind, they are not accepting food or toy donations this year for hamper creation, rather they will be giving families in need gift cards.

“Things are going to look a little different this year with COVID,” explains Derksen. “We are going away from non-perishables this year, and we are giving gift cards only to limit the contact happening between the items, and what people

Hampers are not being packed this year, rather gift cards will be given to families in need. File photo. are receiving, and so we are going to be heavily relying on financial donations.”

The Cheer Board’s goal is to raise $95,000 in the next few weeks, and as of last Friday's weekly update, had raised just over $54,000. Delivery days are currently scheduled for December 8th and 9th.

“I think before I became a member of the Cheer Board, I didn’t realize the impact it had on the community,” says Derksen. “Hearing people, when they’ve delivered hampers and come back just saying, ‘You know, these people were just so grateful to get this hamper. It just gave them that boost at Christmas.’”

In 2019, 395 Winkler area families received a hamper from the organization.