By Liticia Gardner, DICES
The Christmas Hampers this year were overflowing with the abundance that this incredible community has to offer- from handmade bowls, to whoopie cushions and locally grown vegetables. The weirdness and wonderfulness of Denman showed this year and it wouldn’t have been without the help of the many hands and hearts that make it all possible by donating, money, time and gifts. The DICES Council and staff would like to offer a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the Christmas hampers this year.
This year we delivered 46 Christmas hampers brimming with locally baked breads, local veggies, holiday treats and hand matched gifts by our staff elf team. Speaking with the recipients of the hampers, we know that your generous donations are deeply appreciated, especially during these trying times.
In spite of the tumultuousness of Covid this winter season we had a seamless day of packing, wrapping and delivering- topped off with a hefty dose of cheesy Christmas tunes and incredible locally baked goodies from the Guesthouse. A big thank you to Donna & Sheldon and their team for not only providing us amazing goodies, but also supporting us with coordinating donations and providing a number of lovely gifts.
A HUGE thank you to Jen, and the entire team at the General Store- this was Jen’s first year taking over Christmas Hamper organizing and we can’t thank her enough for hustling to find us deals and donations in the wake of floods and food shortages. We would also like to thank DIRCS (the Community Hall) for letting us use the community hall as our venue this year. We luxuriated in their new heating system and breathed easy behind our masks, knowing they’ve recently installed a new ventilation system to keep us all safe. A thank you to Evan Penner for providing us with sturdy boxes, the Denman Island Hardware Store for hosting the gifts drop off box & donation jar, Abraxas for hosting our donation jar, and the Times Colonist Christmas Fund for their generous contribution to the Christmas Hampers.
We would also like to thank all the businesses that donated to the Christmas Hampers; Cold Star Solutions, QF Caseco, Tree Island Yogurt, Vassili’s Bakery, and Saputo.
See you all in the new year!
