Volunteers braved the frigid temperatures on Tuesday to hand out the hampers. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Community support

‘Everyone needs some help’: Prince Albert Grand Council provides food for families in need

Dec 20, 2022 | 5:00 PM

Thanks to efforts of staff and volunteers at Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC), many more local families will be able to enjoy a Christmas dinner this year.

Over the course of two days, roughly 3,000 food hampers were handed out. PAGC Executive Director Al Ducharme told paNOW he wishes they could do more.

“There’s been requests for more but unfortunately we just can’t go beyond that,” he said.

Each of the hampers contains a turkey, ham, dried goods, potatoes, vegetables and essentially all the ingredients needed for a good meal on Christmas and/or New Year’s Day.

The registration process took place two weeks ago, and Ducharme noted this was not just for PAGC members but all the community. At times, the line up of vehicles extended all the way down 28th Street East, over a mile away from the PAGC head office building.

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“It was just shocking to me just to see that kind of wish and want and need for that Christmas hamper,” Ducharme explained.

A grateful family accepts their hamper. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

The annual PAGC Christmas has been going on for over 10 years, and each year there seems to be a need for more hampers. Ducharme noted support PAGC receives support year round from all over the country, including a mennonite community in Southern Ontario that sends trucks loaded with dried goods and fresh vegetables.

“We put together many different pots of money in order to try and do this and it works out,” he said. “You know it’s the time of year when everyone needs some help.”

One woman parked in line told paNOW with the cost of food, the hampers help out a lot, enabling her to buy more presents for her kids.

Another woman explained she had a disability and an autistic son, so the hamper helps take a big load off her mind.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell