Carl DeLine

Salvation Army officials are praying that Calgarians start making food donations so that thousands of local families will be able to receive Christmas hampers.

“We need it now and we need it desperately,” Capt. Gordon Goodridge said Monday.

“We have about enough food now for 300 hampers, but I have another 5,700 more orders to fill.”

Unlike the past year, there will be no help from the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank.

“Our hands are tied right now,” said food bank director Carl DeLine.

The Salvation Army is scheduled to start distributing food hampers Thursday. Without them, many families will go without traditional Christmas dinners this year, Goodridge said.

“I think if we had more snow and it would stay on the ground it would prompt more people into thinking about Christmas,” he said. “We need to do everything in our powers to jog the memories and the hearts of the people.”

DeLine said the food bank is also having difficulties because food is going out faster than it’s coming in. About 125 families are asking for hampers daily.

Goodridge said hampers–filled with about $175 worth of food and toys–usually contain enough food to stretch for meals four or five days beyond Christmas Day. But he isn’t sure whether the Army can afford to pack extras into the baskets.

Last year, about 5,500 Christmas hampers were distributed, and 6,000 are needed this year.

The Army is looking most for donations of Christmas dinner trimmings, fresh fruits and vegetables and non-perishable foods. Turkeys are already ordered but not yet paid for.

The food bank needs basic foods–canned goods and non-perishables.

Originally published December 15, 1987 by the Calgary Herald (Calgary, AB), credited to Carol Harrington.