Registration begins for the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Christmas Hamper Society on Monday, Nov. 13.
Those who feel they may need extra help this holiday season will have one month to complete and submit their forms into the society.
Families who are low income or receive government financial assistance and who are approved by the Christmas hamper society will receive a grocery gift card in order to purchase a traditional Christmas Day dinner in addition to gifts for their children under the age of 19, who are both named on their application form and are in their full-time care.
Clients of the Friends In Need Food Bank should have received their application forms which were distributed with their weekly food pickup at the beginning of November.
Food bank clients have different forms than other applicants.
Forms can be completed before the start date of Nov. 13, but a response from the society will not come until after.
Registration will be done electronically and a means test will be applied to all families who apply.
Families who the Christmas hamper society have previously denied will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Families will also have to confirm that they have not and will not apply to another agency for help.
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A volunteer may need to connect with applicants to confirm details like: name; care card numbers, and proof of income – which will need to be validated.
Once approved, families will be assigned a unique registration number and given a date and time to ‘shop’ for toys at the Christmas Hamper office.
Since electronic registration is encouraged, approved applicants will need to collect the voucher for Rudolph’s Recycle Gift Shoppe and Kid’s Only from the office of the Christmas hamper society, which can be done on the day of their toy shopping or at the office from 9:30 a.m. onward on Saturday Dec. 2, 9, and 16.
This year Rudolph’s Recycle Gift Shoppe will be open from 10-2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, 9, and 16, and the Kid’s Only will be open from 10-1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16.
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The society is asking all approved applicants not to arrive at the hamper site at any time outside the time advised to them and to provide their own bags when at the toy ‘shop’.
All documents should be emailed to: registration@mrpmchristmashamper.org.
The Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Christmas Hamper Society is a member of the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau and was established in the late 1960’s by volunteers from community service clubs and the volunteer fire department to help struggling families at Christmas time.
Deadline for applications is Wednesday, Dec. 13.
