north shore news

_CHRISTMAS
Christmas Bureau in need

N.S. program
‘crippled’ by
postal strike

THE North Vancouver
Christmas Bureau has
been hard hit by the
recent postal strike.

The Family Services of the
North Shore program relies
entirely on donations from the
community to run its opera-
tions.

“The mail strike has had a
rippling effect,” said bureau
coordinator Diana Cowden.
“There are a lot of people out
there, clubs and businesses,
relying on a cash flow to sup-
port this program.”

The program coordinates
Christmas hampers and runs a

“toy shop" for North

Vancouver families facing finan-
cial diffculty during the holi-

than S800 families. Referrals to
the program are through the

. Ministry tor Human Resources,

the Salvation Army, the Gary est
Project: and Family Services
stalk
The postal stnke has “cer-
tainly crippled a successful pro-
gram,” said Cowden,
Applications for help are up
15% from last year. At the same
time, sponsorship is down,
“Last year at this time we
were turing sponsors away,”
said Cowden. This year, 215
families are without a sponsor.
The program relies on spon-
sors to “adopt” a family and

assemble a hamper consisting of

food items, food certificates and
inexpensive gift irems.
Typically, individuals and
families receiving help from the
Chrisumas bureau are new
Canadians, seniors, the dis-

abled, and “the working poor,”
families that are “doing the best
they can but still can’t make
ends meet,” said Cowden.

Donations of cash, non-per-
ishable food items and toys are
also needed to supply hanipers
for those families who do not
receive a sponsor duc to a
shortage of doncrs.

“We will do our best to
{ensure) that they have a holi-
day meal,” said Cowden.

Food should be non-pzrish-
able. Home-made and home-
canned food items are not
acceptable.

Toys most in demand are
sports related items, quality
preschool toys and. gifts for
teens. Donations should be
unwrapped and can be left at
the North Shore News, 1139
Lonsdale Ave., North Van, and
at other collection points.

Cash donations are accepted
at all) North Shore Credit
Union locations. The North
Van bureau works in partner-
ship with West Vancouver Santa
Claus Fund.

For more information call
984-9627.

— Lavine Christensen

NEWS photo Paul McGrath days.
DIANA Cowden, coordinator of the North Vancouver
Christmas Bureau, appeals to the pubiic for support.

Winter = 7

According to Cowden, fast
year the program serviced more

“, ya

1
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Please bring donations of non-perishable fooas/toys
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north shore