‘Giving dignity and choice’: UGM puts new spin on Christmas hamper program

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The Union Gospel Mission is “turning the traditional Christmas hamper upside down” to help spread some holiday cheer this season.

The new program allows low income parents to ‘shop’ for their free basket items, giving them the ability to choose what goes into their hampers rather than receiving a pre-made gift basket.

“It’s about giving them dignity and choice, and allowing the families, the parents, to get some of the credit and to take ownership of that Christmas because they’ve been working quite hard all year often among really difficult circumstances,” explains the UGM’s Jeremy Hunka. “So we want to give them that.”

According to Hunka, allowing them the freedom to make up their own hampers rather than having to rely on someone else helps empower the parents.

“When a parent has to ask somebody else to help give a Christmas present to their child, it can be a really tough pill to swallow. There is a degree of shame that comes with that, because they feel like they’re unable to provide for what their kids want.”

In order to register for this program, Hunka says parents will have to either volunteer with the store or take a free financial literacy or budgeting course, in partnership with the Credit Counselling Society.

“So we’re hoping to use the hampers as an opportunity for long-term change rather than simply a hand out at Christmas.”

The UGM has been collecting the store items for months.

“The 700 Club of Canada is our main sponsor of this, but we’ve also gotten donations from school and just from the general public,” he says. “People who have provided things like toys, or clothes, or things like winter jackets and those types of things.”

The UGM will wrap all presents at the store and event give parents a ride home after they’re done “shopping”. According to Hunka, there’s a child poverty rate of 74 per cent in the Downtown Eastside even though some parents are working hard to support their families.

The new program starts on Monday, December 18th and is specific to family hampers and is open to those registered. The UGM will consider expanding the program to include other types of hampers if this initiative is successful.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today