FAQ & Best Practices

Yes of course! Each hamper should ideally have at least 4 or 5 gift cards for groceries, clothes, movies, etc. During Covid the hampers were gift cards only and this model is still fine to use anytime.

Hampers will be picked up directly from the schools by the social workers. This year pick up will be either Dec 14,, 15, 18 or 19. The social workers will sign up for a date, giving the school a 30 min window for their arrival. Please have the hamper donations stored somewhere easily accessible and clearly labelled with the family profile number and social worker’s name. Ideally there is a volunteer on hand to greet the social workers and help them load the hampers into their cars.

Here are some examples of profiles - FAMILY 1 , FAMILY 2, FAMILY 3

New items only please! Or if used, then barely so, “like new” condition, cleaned, folded and ideally wrapped. The hampers are meant to be special, not used as an excuse for decluttering closets.

The volunteers co-ordinating the hampers at your school purchase or provide the hampers (they can request to be reimbursed by parent council or just make it part of their donation). Canadian Tire and Amazon have many affordable options which can then be used by the family for laundry or storage. Ikea bags could be used as well (but don’t look as nice). And type of cardboard boxes or large gift bags would also work!

It’s a good idea for the organizers to create a shared google doc and send the link out to parents and/or students. Any donations are added to the list so everyone can see what items still need to be purchased and avoid duplications.

Happily! There are many families that could use, and would greatly appreciate, larger items. Just contact your school organizer to co-ordinate pick up.

The program requires volunteers to co-ordinate efforts at each school. They distribute the profiles, email reminders to the parents and/or students, ensure the hampers are filled adequately and ready for pick up. If possible, families are matched with classrooms where the children are similar ages since this often makes a more resonant connection.

Absolutely! If you have new items you would like to contribute please bring them in and the parent volunteers co-ordinating the effort can find a place for anything you’d like to donate.