The Oxbow Emergency Support Group received strong support from the community leading up to Christmas, and that support allowed it to help people in the Oxbow area.
The association filled 17 hampers last month. Hamper recipients picked them up at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on Dec. 20, just in time for Christmas.
Ellie Hook with the Oxbow Emergency Support Group said the number of hampers was up slightly from last year, and that wasn’t a surprise.
“It seems that the prices of food have been going up, and there are some people who struggle to pay their bills and buy the food they need,” said Hook.
The hampers are huge, she said. The support group purchases everything that a family would need to eat on Christmas Day, including breakfast, snacks and the staples for a full Christmas supper with all of the trimmings.
“Even if they had nothing in their house, they would have a very good Christmas Day,” said Hook. “On top of that, all the food drive donations mean that they get many, many staples to be able to supplement their food expenses for a good part of January.”
Hamper recipients receive cans of vegetables, soups, as well as pasta, pasta sauces, fruits and rice. Also included will be toiletries, Kleenex, laundry detergent, dish detergent and more.
“These are really, really big helps to these people,” said Hook.
Each hamper recipient will have six to eight large boxes filled with items.
The recipients are very appreciative.
“We get hugs, and there are tears and lots of thank you’s,” said Hook.
A group of women in the community purchases Christmas gifts for hamper recipients with children, if the family indicates they could use assistance.
“They do it anonymously,” said Hook. “They just know the age and the size and the interests of the children. They bring these beautiful gifts all wrapped for us to distribute with the hampers.”
Hook said the Oxbow area always comes through for the support group. Businesses and individuals step forward with contributions. Oxbow’s Canada Post office, the Oxbow Prairie Horizons School and the staff at the Galloway Health Centre are among those to have food drives.
The students will pick up all the food that is donated and deliver to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. They also help sort the food into different categories. Other people come in and help distribute the hampers to the recipients.
“It’s about a three-day job of packing and sorting,” said Hook. “It’s very gratifying.”
The Southern Plains Co-op’s Oxbow grocery store is also a big help each year. Hook said she calls them daily with changes and additions for hamper orders.
“They’re very good,” said Hook. “They help to sort it all. They help deliver it. They also do a collection for food there and they give a discount on the groceries we buy.”
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church allows the group to use the building for three days. It’s a very accessible building, Hook said, since everything is on one floor.
There are several people involved with the support group throughout the year, but that number swells in the weeks before Christmas, with more people involved. Her husband is a big help before Christmas, too, she said.
Christmas is the only time of year in which the support group handles large volumes of food. But during the rest of the year, if people need help with expenses such as groceries, or if they need assistance with a trip to Regina for a medical appointment, and they can’t afford the fuel, then the support group is there with assistance.
If the need is for groceries, then the support group will contact the co-op and make arrangements for a gift card that can be used for food.
The group helps a fair number of people over the course of the year, she said.
