Brandon's Christmas Cheer board expects busy season

Busy as Santa's elves getting ready for the holidays, Brandon Westman Christmas Cheer volunteers are sorting donations for around 1,200 hampers for families in need. Vice Chair Myrna Lane says it's the most they can fit in their current space, even though they expect 800 total requests. There's more need out there. And things happen in our life. Someone in your family becomes ill. You're laid off from your job. So this all works into it Christmas time. That leaves up to 600 families needing to be adopted by community members, meaning they'll build the hampers themselves, not at the charity. At Helping Hands Soup Kitchen, they're seeing a surge, too. Angela Braun says she's seen a major increase in people needing help. Meals served at the soup kitchen jumped 39% over the last three years. There is no food security in Brandon, with rising costs in grocery stores, at the pumps, everything it leads to people make. People paying more for necessities, that kind of thing, and not leaving anything left for food. Samaritan House Ministries says its food bank has more than 1,200 new clients this year. Heather Simbolisti says the growing client roster reflects families struggling to stay afloat financially. And life is just really, really challenging. What used to be minimum wage, what used to be, you know, people could survive on, no longer. With the growing need for hampers across the community, Christmas Cheer has outgrown its current home of more than a decade. Lane says now they're on the hunt for a new community partner and location. A new space is part of the larger goal of ensuring everyone can celebrate the holidays. Be kind to those around you. Give a helping hand. Think about giving a person a lift up, not a handout. Christmas Cheer deliveries go out in mid-December. Chelsea Kemp, CBC News, Brandon.