Christmas is the season of giving and receiving and the Salvation Army is encouraging local residents and businesses to get involved with their Christmas Hamper program.
The hamper program has a two-fold part to it; the first being the hampers of food and toys that people can apply for, while the second part is the Adopt-a-Family initiative.
The Salvation Army is accepting financial donations as well as toys to include with the hampers, which typically include either a ham or turkey, stuffing, kraft dinner, beans, peanut butter, margarine, eggs, pancake mix, frozen vegetables, milk, bread, potatoes and oranges.
Anyone interested in being a recipient of a Christmas Hamper can stop by the Salvation Army and make an appointment, as candidates and families are assessed based on their need.
In years past, anywhere from 250-300 hampers are distributed to families throughout Cranbrook.
Within the Christmas Hamper program is the Adopt-a-Family initiative as well, where residents or businesses can provide a hamper and toys for a specific family that goes through the application process.
The Adopt-a-Family program is a little different in that the families approved provide ages, genders, clothing sizes and a wish list from the kids to the Salvation Army and whoever adopts the family can do the gift-shopping, according to Major Linda Green, with the Salvation Army.
"There are people around town, businesses around town, agencies around town who will adopt a family. They will raise money and adopt a family and they will pick…they will go out and buy the hampers, buy the gifts for them," Green said.
Whoever adopts a family will have some guidance from the Salvation Army as well, Green added.
"We will show them and give them what our minimum is, what we will do for each family, so some people will adopt a complete family, do the food and the toys and normally they go above what we do.
,,,Some will just do the toys and we will do the hampers so it's a whole variety of things."
The Salvation Army is accepting both financial donations and non-perishable food items for the Christmas Hamper program. Any donations that don't end up getting used within the program are distributed to other areas such as hot lunches for schools.
Donations can be made as part of the Christmas Kettle program or directly at the Salvation Army office at 533 Slater Rd. For more information about the Christmas Hamper program or to adopt a family, call 250-426-3612.