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And, he said, it‘s even more inspiring to see younger generations taking an active role in the gift of giving. _ â€" â€" _ _ "We have a number of schools that are collecting Until this week, volunâ€" teers were busy sorting, packing and loading close to 2,500 care packages into cars to be delivered to local households before Christmas morning. According to Bender this would not have been possiâ€" ble without the generous support of the community. "The community supâ€" port has always been excelâ€" lent through volunteering, food support and donaâ€" tions," he said. "It‘s an excitâ€" ing thing to see the utilizaâ€" tion of these community resources, and how the community bands together with _ the _ House _ of Friendship to help persons in need at this time of year." House of Friendship‘s Christmas food hamper program enjoys solid community support "But the number of food hampers needed is down by about 300 from last year which is a very good thing." The House of Friendship, along with between 500â€"600 volunteers, are now in the midst _ of _ the _ annual Christmas food hamper proâ€" gram, which provides those less fortunate with nourishâ€" ment over the holidays. The 30â€"yearâ€"old program started as a way of providing gifts to persons in need durâ€" ing the Christmas season, and has evolved into a holiâ€" day tradition in the commuâ€" nity. And unlike other comâ€" munity programs, which seem to have more of a difâ€" ficulty at this time of year, Bender said there is not a shortage in support or donaâ€" tions for the holiday hamâ€" f numbers are any indicaâ€" Ition, it seems fewer hunâ€" gry mouths are in need of feeding this Christmas in the Waterloo Region. And that is a trend Tony Bender, community services program director at the House of Friendship, hopes will continue into the new year. "The need â€" certainly varies from year to year," he said. "It all depends on how many people are on social assistance. Each hamper contains a number of nonâ€"perishable food items, along with a gift certificate for groceries at a number of local food stores. By Anprea Barey Chronicle Staff |_ J 5 5) MB I J | 5 warmth of Uflbwn ELLE 40 *,., Volage & all Cotton Sleepwear Excludes Nick & Nora Guaranteed Boxing Day Prices Feel the Starting Dec. 20 91B Caroline St. S. HOURS: Tues. 11 am â€" 6 Wed. Thurs. & Fri. 11 am gmpm Sat. 11 am â€" 5 pm Sun. 12 noon â€" ?pm C Fine Lingerie 742â€"4593 885â€"1921 OVER 370 STORES & SERV! commgfi PARKING w & T ER L O 0 w a T E RL 0 0 Yet he also said the hope of the organization is that one day a program like this is no longer necessary. "In an ideal wo..d a program like this wouldn‘t have to exist," he said. "But we are certainly happy io provide this service while it‘s needed." House of Friendship volunâ€" WDS PLA] TtR Chicken & Rib Combo â€" teer David Ross spent last : A tantalizing assortment of chicken fingers. : .. o e J reinrarah s nar B t o hn touttameny t Friday morning sorting | _ unjmbe o * j eneneeineeremenegatam canned goods which were * M-‘-â€"tiflr thenfpacked into food hamâ€" : Sua E&S h%*"n : Ch‘iflsen & Shrimtx;;u pers for the organization‘s our large, tasty ‘We cot shicinn and staing posts ‘coume hare‘s ty sos piace shnual Chrstmas program. | "=*osmacigin t | "opmemnlnamiren" This year close to 2,500 L______‘_s"i___l Ligut and dicious. $24 95 hampers were made the eeeTeT Ts Te tarerede e ns es e e es en en e e e e e e e e e e n e e n e n region‘s less fortunate, Westmount Place Shopping Centre . 50 Westmount &4 N witerico _ MR which is 300 less than what (s9) se4â€"a55e oeesorgetes was needed last year. _nrr n mm mmz mm mmz menmamanoo~ food for us," Bender said. "We â€" are â€" expecting between 25,000 to 30,000 food items from ane school alone. That‘s just incredible." 80 King Street South, Waterioo 8889200 * 56 George‘s Square, Gueiph 821â€"7982 ANDREA SAREY PHOTO Pasha® C de Cartier Watch 35mm. Steel. Automatic movement. With black or white dial Authorized Carber Agency KNAR JEWELLERY «*‘ New Year‘s Eve Kids couni{down! Chicken & Rib Combo _ O #1 aniroe and a surefro t s mate your hemay sey "Tow# you‘. You got $ wings and U ract of ie with your choice of ‘We cat k chicinn and siving posis ‘cause arv‘s saly se place w chicion and one shrimg in i. et Hiding. Angal has pastn in _ probahly won‘t have mon c $91.95 Chicken & Shrimp Pasta H+e4 c