Christmas Amalgamated seeking donations in final two-week push to Christmas

KAMLOOPS — We’re now into the final two weeks before Christmas, and Christmas Amalgamated is still busy gathering toy donations and items to put together meal hampers for families in the Kamloops area.

Volunteers have been distributing toys and signing up families for hampers and are hoping for more donations before the holidays arrive.

Coordinator Sally Whitson is reminding folks that the operation is set up in the Brock Shopping Centre at 1800 Tranquille Road.

“Actually, it’s been not too bad,” Whitson says. “With being out in Brocklehurst there’s a lot of people who still haven’t been able to find us. I get people who remark that they didn’t know where we were.”

Toys for older kids, and items for teenagers are in high demand, and the campaign is also looking for holiday foods or specialty items for meal packages.

Some of the holiday specialty items Chistmas Amalgamated uses to put together meal hampers. (Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today)

“The food is definitely food for a Christmas hamper,” she says. “The food for food banks is the stuff we pass on to the food banks. We don’t include those in the hampers. In the hampers we put in the kind of food they want for Christmas – with the apples and oranges, and all the goodies and stuff.”

Whitson says there isn’t a set deadline, but it’s better to drop off donations sooner rather than later.