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Thousands of volunteers gathered across Chatham-Kent on Saturday to make something special happen again for the benefit of the needy.
“You have to hear it to believe it,” said Brent Wilken, one of the main organizers of The Gift CK, which on Saturday involved more than 3,000 volunteers who collected, unloaded and sorted countless donations of food and toys.
“I don’t know how to describe the look and feel of these people who attended,” he added.
Wilken, who was among the main group that organized the May 16 miracle that collected nearly 680,000 pounds of food, said there is a different vibe to The Gift.
“It’s another step towards being together,” Wilken said.
Noting that this event involved collaborating with different organizations, he said, “This went a little deeper into our hearts, we took care of each other a little more.”
People of all ages were helping out on Saturday.
Julia Snelgrove, 13, was helping raise donations from Chatham’s arcades, because she wants to make sure everyone has a Merry Christmas.
“It’s just crap that some people can’t afford a Christmas I can have,” he said.
Julia said volunteering for The Gift “warms my heart, because, I realize I’m helping a lot of people.”
His grandmother, Myrna Panjer, who was driving, said: It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to help others with a family.
Mindy Bowls, who was also collecting donations with Julia and Myrna on Sunnyside Avenue, said, “It’s great that it’s a community-wide thing so everyone can participate.”
He added that the event is great for people who want to be involved in volunteering and for those who want to donate to the cause.
Matthew Parry has volunteered as a community captain tasked with collecting donations from dealers, including Canadian Tire, Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Sobeys, and Walmart.
He was impressed with how quickly the donations were arriving, noting that there had already been many donations to Walmart, before the volunteers started to arrive.
Parry recently moved from Niagara Falls to Chatham and decided to get involved and is glad he did.
“It’s a magical experience, it’s amazing to see everyone come together and I absolutely wanted to be a part of it,” Parry said.
Nicole Papps and her son, Phoenix, 14, decided to help out with The Gift, after volunteering for the May 16 miracle.
“The community support has been extraordinary,” Papps said as he delivered a fourth shipment of donations at the Richmond Street delivery site.
He was on his way back to Chatham’s Canadian tire shop to collect another shipment of donations.
“It’s kind of fun to go out and see a lot of things,” Phoenix said.
“It’s actually pretty impressive, all gifts,” he added.
Bonnie Lewsaw was heavily involved in The Gift and the May 16 Miracle.
He ran the “sign factory” for a few weeks, where volunteers created and distributed hundreds of signs around Chatham-Kent to promote The Gift.
She was also a volunteer coordinator for Chatham, which included 40 volunteer teams, before being tasked with accepting donations at the Bradley Convention Center on Saturday.
“It’s going really well and we’ve also started ordering with the tremendous help we have,” Lewsaw said.
“This is phenomenal. . . it’s huge support from the community again, “he added.
Noting that she loves being involved in this type of community event, Lewsaw said her motto is: “Bring it on.”
Donations of food and toys will be organized for distribution through the various groups running the Christmas campaigns, such as Chatham Goodfellows and Salvation Army.
However, Wilken said the target is for residents who feel those people are in need but are reluctant to ask for help.
He said a trusted family member or friend can come to The Gift on their behalf to get the help many families need.
“There is something truly extraordinary that will happen when more people are found than ever before,” Wilken said.
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