November 28, 2016
Dear Parents,
The holiday season is a time to enjoy the many blessings we have and to give to those who have less. We invite you to participate in our Annual St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Drive. This drive provides our “neighbours in need” in the Oak Ridges area with necessities and gifts to make their holidays brighter. Our “neighbours in need” are people in our community that have asked for our help. These are families with single parents, the working poor, people on social assistance, or dealing with various physical disabilities, addictions or mental illness. These are people of all ages in our communities that have fallen on hard financial times and are looking for help during this holiday season. We hope that our school community will show its generosity and help to make our annual drive a great success.
Here are some suggestions and guidelines for donations:
Gift cards
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is requesting gift card donations in lieu of gifts to allow our “neighbours in need” to purchase what they truly need, or to treat themselves to something they would not normally be able to afford. Please think about cards for all ages including teenagers (boys and girls) and adult men and women. The gift cards could be from:
- major grocery stores
- malls
- drug stores
- music stores
- department stores
- movie theatres
- hardware stores
- restaurants
*Please indicate the amount directly on the gift card.
Clothing (new items only)
Especially for adult men & women.
- Socks
- Hats/Gloves/Scarves
- T-shirts (large sizes)
- Pajamas
Toiletries
Especially in need of men’s toiletries
- toothpaste
- toothbrushes
- shampoo / conditioner
- tissues
- deodorant
- soap
- lotion
- shaving cream
- toilet paper
Household Items
- dish soap
- plastic wrap
- foil wrap
- paper towels
- laundry detergent
Food items (packaged or canned goods)
- Cereal
- Juice
- Coffee/Tea
- Jam
- Rice
- Hot Chocolate
- Canned Fruit
- Crackers
- Cookies
- Cake Mix/Frosting
- Pasta Sauce
- Peanut Butter
- Nutella
- Pudding
- Packaged Desserts
- Canned Tomatoes
- Canned Pasta
- Chillies/Stews
- Canned Meats
- Tuna/Salmon
- Sugar
- Salt
- Cooking Oil
- Vinegar
- Dry Milk
All donations are due to the school on Tuesday, December 13th. If you would like to help sort the donations on either December 13th or 14th, please call St. Vincent de Paul at (416) 235-9234.
Once again, we thank you for your generosity and kind support.
St. Vincent de Paul, Oak Ridges Conference & the OLA Luke 4:18 Committee