For 40 years, the Airdrie Lioness Club has been helping families struggling during the Christmas season with their Christmas Hamper Program and for 2017 the program is once again in full swing.

Yesterday (November 18) club members and community volunteers collected and sorted through tons of food that was provide by generous Airdronians, according to Lioness President Rhonda Auclair.

"This week the Lioness club delivered 5,000 bags throughout Airdrie for the food drive.  That took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Today (Saturday) the volunteers went back to those neighbourhoods and picked up the food bags.  It's been a phenomenal amount of food that we've received."

Auclair says, over the 40 years of the program, the residents of Airdrie have always shown their generosity and been behind the Lioness' every step of the way.  She also says the need for that generosity continues.

"Last year we distributed 370 hampers so we're anticipating about the same numbers this year.  The community has always been great in stepping up and helping us with fulfilling all of those."

Auclair says they're also looking for individuals, businesses and groups to Sponsor A Family again this year.  She explained how that works.

"We have families who are in need and on the other side of that we have sponsors, could be individuals, businesses or just a group of people who get together and say they want to sponsor a family.  If they request a family of four we will match them with a recipient who has a family of four.  The sponsors then get information about the family, what kind of gifts the kids are looking for, or what kinds of foods they might be allergic to.  Then the sponsors go shopping and they bring down their hampers to us and we distribute them on December 16th and 17th this year."

This year the Lioness' are teaming up with Air 106.1 to host a Radio-thon on December 1st.  Keep listening to Air 106.1 for details on the event.

You can find out more about the Christmas Hamper Program on the Airdrie Lioness website here or by calling 403 660-1569.

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