Lethbridge charitable organizations still in need of donations after Christmas

LETHBRIDGE -

Many of Lethbridge's charitable organizations hold large Christmas fundraising campaigns, but once the new year hits, the need for donations is still there.

"Most charities do rely on that season of giving from Thanksgiving till Christmas, but we do need to operate year-round as the need is here year-round, and so we are hoping the community doesn't forget about us now that Christmas has passed and that they look forward to getting engaged with us in various ways throughout the year," said Danielle McIntyre, executive director of the Lethbridge Interfaith Food Bank.

Demand for charitable supports typically remains high until the summer months.

Many charities are also helping more people than they ever have before.

"Our capacity is 90. If we do two sittings, that's 180. We can still handle that, but we've had well over 200; 224 I think we had one day in November. ... We're doing up to 14,000 meals a month, so there's a lot of need out there; we know that," said Bill Ginther, executive director of the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen.

Charities aren't the only ones looking for donations.

The University of Lethbridge is always looking for donations to help fund support programs for students.

While the need for student supports is high, the U of L says the community always comes through.

"Our community stepped up, and I mean, here at the university and in the broader community, stepped up with donations and support, volunteering, to help our students," said Kathleen Massey, U of L vice-provost (students).

The federal government is doing what it can to help groups who lost out on donations due to the postal workers strike.

The charitable donation deadline has been extended to Feb. 28.

Any donations made before then can be used for a tax credit on 2024 tax filings.

"We're hoping that is bringing a little bit of an added incentive to people who maybe didn't get their donation in at Christmastime or who acknowledged that there is the need for people to eat every day and that we need your support all year round," McIntyre said.