By Matt Weingarden
It’s been a real challenging few years for the volunteers at the Belle River/Rochester Goodfellows organization, but the group is back in full swing this holiday season.
“Our theme this year is ‘We’ve got your back,’ said Rick Anderson, president of the Belle River/Rochester Goodfellows. “We never really went away as far as dealing with the pandemic goes, we’ve just had to adjust to the situation. We’re back again full-throttle.”
Goodfellow’s volunteers will be back on the streets of Lakeshore selling newspapers on Friday November 18. The annual banquet is Saturday Nov. 19.
The group has continued its charity work, but Anderson says that they have made many changes to the way the food boxes are distributed.
Gone are the days of can collection and the filling of boxes at the St. Simon and St. Jude Hall. While local schools are involved, they have switched to ‘toonie collection’ within the classrooms – that allows for the purchase of gift cards for families in need.
Deadline to apply for assistance this year is Friday December 2 with pick-up slated for Thursday December 22. The pre-approval process is now done over the phone.
“Those selected for assistance will be asked to meet Goodfellow’s administration at the Good Neighbour Club in Belle River on Friday December 9th and Saturday December 10, when we distribute vouchers containing gift cards. This allows parents to go out and get their own gifts for their kids,” said Anderson.
The voucher is kept and this allows the family to pick-up their food box at the Tetreualt’s Valu-Mart on December 22 at a drive through location behind the supermarket.
“Thanks to Ray Tetreualt and his crew at the grocery store the boxes are packed on site and then loaded into the family vehicle,” added Anderson. “It works out so much better for us…its way more efficient.” said Anderson.
The Knights of Columbus are planning their annual fundraiser to help with costs on December 3. Lakeshore firefighters will be cooking hot dogs and hamburgs on Sat. Nov. 19 at the Belle River Legion from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
“We still have the area’s back, things are just done a little differently today,” said Anderson.
Call Rick Anderson at 226-345-6686 or Tom Tellier at 519-728-1315 to apply for this year’s assistance program.
Be the first to comment