About 400 Santa Fund volunteers packed over 700 food baskets Monday night, and accomplished the feat in less than two hours.
About 400 Santa Fund volunteers packed over 700 food baskets Monday night, and accomplished the feat in less than two hours.
The baskets were packed at the Troy Armoury and are being delivered to North Bay's less fortunate families today, to help them have a merry Christmas.
Santa Fund co-chairman Lachlan McLachlan
watched in amazement as the basket packing was completed faster than ever before.
"Our volunteers packed 725 baskets in one hour and 51 minutes, which is a record and the first time we've ever broken two hours," McLachlan said.
"It was like a well-oiled machine in the armoury, almost as if this had been rehearsed."
Fixings for dinnerSome volunteers pushed shopping carts around the armoury's huge parade room, stopping at various stations while others
placed food items into the baskets.
Members of the 26 Service Battalion
grabbed the baskets out of the cart and laid them on the floor.
When the process was complete each basket contained a
turkey and fixings for Christmas dinner, as well as staple food items and a $25 gift certificate for childrens' clothing.
A matching supply of gift bags
sat in another part of the armoury, and they'll be delivered along with the baskets.
The deliveries are being handled by the battalion and volunteers.
Special feelingSgt. John Martin, a reservist with the battalion in 1978, said the Santa Fund baskets have been packed in the armoury for 10 years now.
He said it's a special feeling for him being involved with the fund.
"Some of us in the reserves have been overseas augmenting the regular forces, some of us have been to fight floods and ice storms, but here we’re doing something right in our own backyard," Martin said.
"When we come knocking on the door we’re helping our community."
Wearing greenMartin, dressed in mottled fatigues, related his favourite Santa Fund story about dropping a basket off to a home five or six years ago.
"The door comes flying open and a cute little thing about three or four years old yells at the top of her lungs, 'look Mom, Santa’s wearing green," Martin said.
"She thought I was Santa Clause, and on the 23rd of December, in North Bay anyway, Santa does wear green."
The Santa Fund could reach its $100,000 goal as early as today, and donations can be dropped off at the North Bay Nugget up until Jan. 5.
