It was a hive of activity at the Evangel Pentecostal Church in Brighton on Tuesday afternoon.
Produce and bread came in by truck to be unloaded and volunteers from the Rotary Club of Brighton were placing bags of potatoes, onions and carrots, and heads of cabbage on designated spots of the floor within the foyer of the church.
In another corner of the large foyer, 12 bushels of apples wait to be added to the hampers that are neatly arranged and numbered in the main auditorium of the church. The apples were donated by the Coates family from Coates Orchards in Brighton — something the Coates family does every year at Christmas time.
For Rose (who won’t divulge her last name), who’s been the coordinator of the Brighton
Christmas Hamper program for the past 34 years, teamwork does make the dream work in helping those less fortunate in Brighton have a Merry Christmas.
“It’s really wonderful because you have people within the community who rise to the occasion to help all these people. It’s fabulous. It’s a lot of fun,” said Rose, who’s unfazed by the controlled chaos of the loading in of the vegetables.
She said the Brighton Christmas Hamper program is aided by the work of approximately 150 volunteers, service clubs — including the Lions, Rotarians and the Brighton Legion — and the largesse of area businesses and individuals who give generously each year.
“I appreciate all the help I get,” said Rose. “I think it’s absolutely phenomenal. I think the support is incredible that we get here.”
On Monday, members of the Brighton Lions Club came in to put all the liners in the bushel baskets that are re-used each year. Lions club volunteers fill each one with an assortment of canned goods. The Lions have been part of the Brighton Christmas Hamper program for the past 29 years.
Later on Tuesday, the vegetables will be added to each of the hampers and on Wednesday, Dec. 22, either turkey, ham or chicken will be added to the hampers in the morning, all awaiting pickup later that day. Rose said it’s mainly turkeys that go out at Christmas, but some seniors prefer chicken instead, so it’s substituted for these people.
Also that day, volunteers with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 100 Brighton’s Adopt an Angel program, in its 29th year, will add the gifts for children to each hamper. The Adopt an Angel program is headed by Legion member Rose Massey.
“Rose and her elves do an incredible job,” said Rose, who noted the Angel program accommodates all children of a family in need, even if they’re over age 12.
At the end of the day on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 132 hampers will go out the door to someone in need, be it an area family or a shut-in senior. Rose noted it’s about the same number of hampers handed out as last Christmas.
Rose said, however, that she remains on call until Dec. 24 to provide for any last-minute families or anyone in need. “If someone really needs help, then I will go out.”
People in the community who need help at Christmas have to pre-register for the Brighton Christmas Hamper program. Rose said it’s mainly those who she describes as the “working poor” who are aided by the hamper program, so “at Christmas time
they can have a wonderful time”.
Rose said she is the only one who possesses the personal information of those seeking a Christmas hamper. A great deal of care and discretion is put in place to avoid any embarrassment.
“It’s important that you treat people with a great deal of respect,” said Rose. “I’m the only one who gets personal information. When they come through the door they show me personal ID and after that, they are only referred to as a number. No personal information ever leaves this building…We don’t want to embarrass these people.”
While a lot of organizational work goes into the hamper program, Rose said it’s fun to engage with the volunteers and know that their work makes a difference to people’s lives at Christmas.
“I’m just a person who gets people together who want other people to have a great Christmas,” she said matter-of-factly.
Rose smiles when she thinks of all the people the hamper program has helped over the years. In fact, many of those same people whom the program has helped turn around and offer their support to someone else in need.
“The people that you help because they’re having a rough year. Next year or the year after if they happen to be a little bit better off, they donate back to what we’re doing,” she said.
Why does Rose stay involved in the hamper program? She remembered a time in her life when she needed help on one particular Christmas and she recalled how small she felt with the whole dehumanizing experience at the time. She vowed not to allow anyone else to be treated that way.
“Years ago I needed help for about a year. I was sent somewhere to get assistance and that included Christmas gifts. And, I could tell you what the woman looks like today. She made it very important that I should be dead and buried in a hole. That I was the scum of the earth and you couldn’t pay me enough to go there. I don’t think anyone should ever be treated like that. And that’s why I work overtime. I want to say 99 per cent of the people who come here are so worried about being shamed and discredited and talked about,” she said.
Rose said she never worries about whether there’s enough food or gifts for everyone who needs help at Christmas. She once did, but she doesn’t feel stressed anymore. In fact, her steadfast belief in miracles has never been tested in her 34 years at the helm of the Brighton Christmas Hamper program.
“Listen, I believe in miracles. It’s amazing because I’ve had people come who have lost their jobs, they’re in some kind of hardship and they don’t want to tell their children and their teenagers and I have nothing for them. And then I get a call out of the blue ‘Hey, Rose, listen, I’ve got this wonderful air hockey game brand new for you’. It (happens) all the time. I used to worry about this, but I figure if I’m meant to have it, God will find a way. We will get it. If we’re not meant to have it, we won’t have it.
