Jingle Bus program helps raise $13K for Christmas hampers

Regina Transit riders can consider themselves donors if they hopped on the bus this past weekend.

On Saturday and Sunday, the City of Regina ran its annual Jingle Bus fundraising campaign. The city announced Tuesday morning that, along with sponsor donations, it helped raise $13,380 to be split by the Regina Food Bank and the Salvation Army.

“It will help cover the cost of (food) hampers, because the need is not going down in the city. We’re seeing a different group of people, but the need is still there,” said Val Wiks, the community ministries co-ordinator with the Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army and food bank are using the money to put together Christmas Day food hampers for families in need. Wiks said they’re to start handing out the hampers on Wednesday.

“(They) range between $50 and $60 apiece,” Wiks said, meaning they’ll be able to hand out approximately 243 hampers.

“It’s a family box, and it’s food for Christmas Day. So there’s bacon and eggs for breakfast and juice. Then for Christmas dinner there’s either a turkey or a ham, potatoes, vegetables, some sort of dessert and then treats as well,” she said.

If the family has kids, they’ll also pick up toys wrapped for them at the 980 CJME Santas Anonymous wrap day.

Wiks said based on what she has seen with the agency, this year has produced particularly hard economic times on families.

“People have a job, and they can make it through the rest, but at Christmas, Christmas dinner, toys for their kids, they just can’t do it,” she said.

“When we do an income assessment with them, most of them are just (struggling) …  One guy was so excited he had $8 left at the end of the month. Well, $8 does not buy you Christmas. So we’re seeing that — working poor more than people on assistance or pension or those kinds of things.”

Wiks explained it’s at the point where people are forced to make tough decisions.

“It’s ‘What bill do I pay this month?’ Or ‘Do I pay this bill or buy groceries?’ ” she said.

She said she hopes the hamper program and the toys from the wrap day “remove the stigma of coming to the Salvation Army or the food bank. That’s what we’re trying to work towards this year.”

Rawlco Radio, which owns 980 CJME, helped sponsor the Jingle Bus campaign. Rawlco and fellow sponsors Pattison Outdoor Advertising, Sleek Signs and Brown Communications Group donated $8,000 to the campaign.

Regina Transit raised $5,380 through bus fares over the two days.