Members of Richelieu Les Patriotes club came together on a chilly Saturday morning to distribute food baskets to needy families in Greater Sudbury.
“The main idea is that no family should go hungry on Christmas,” said Jordan MacDonald, Co-President of the Richelieu Les Patriotes club.
Children as young as five lent a helping hand in preparing 148 baskets distributed by the club members to families in Sudbury, Chelmsford, Copper Cliff and even as far as Markstay.
“I packed oranges in the bags, and it was fun,” Chloe Laverdiere, 5, said.
Roughly $40,000 worth of food items ranging from fresh eggs, cheese, meat pies, pancake mixes to wholesome foods such as chicken and ham were packed in bags for families that have been identified as in need through schools and Paroisse Sainte-Anne Des Pins.
“We are pretty excited about today. We have been raising funds throughout the year and went and bought food a week before. Today we have been here since 9 a.m. packing the food,” MacDonald said.
"We don't want to judge who needs the help, many of the families are recommended to us by the Parish and school boards, and we then ensure they are stocked up for Christmas,” said Regent Dupuis, chair of the Christmas basket committee.
The Club Richelieu Les Patriotes has been conducting this sharing activity for more than 30 years now. And Dupuis describes the event as a families-helping-families.
“Many of our young volunteers have been coming here since they were little. And now they are grown-up, they help us do the heavy lifting and delivering the baskets to the families,” Dupuis said.
