CNRL donates $5,000 to Women’s Resource Society

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — CNRL donated $5,000 to the Women’s Resource Society Friday afternoon, just in time for the holidays.

The donation from CNRL comes as the Women’s Resource Society heads into its busiest season as it tries to find sponsors for the Christmas hamper program.

Lilly Loichinger, the outreach store coordinator, says she’s been trying to encourage groups, such as friends and work colleagues, to get together to donate to the initiative.

She says the society has seen donations going down over the past year, likely due to the rising cost of food and personal hygiene items.

The outreach store coordinator says they’ve served over 1,300 clients in the last month, with 1,000 being the monthly average.

On November 6th, the Women’s Resource Society requested gloves and mittens of all sizes for men, women and children, with a goal of 100 donations by December 1st, which they reached in only two days.

As of Friday morning, the society had received over 400 gloves.

“I’ve crunched the numbers and then a bit of math on my end. I would need at least 600 to make it until Christmas when we close,” Loichinger said.

She is hopeful that by the end of November, they will have enough gloves to last them until January.

In addition to warm clothes, Loichinger said they are looking for donations of non-perishable food items, specifically breakfast items.

The Women’s Resource Society will also be doing their Christmas table again in 2023 for families who don’t qualify for a hamper but would still like to provide their kids with a present.

Loichinger says toys have to be brand new for the Christmas table.

The Women’s Resource Society’s outreach store is located at 9912 96th Avenue. Donations can be dropped off at the back door from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday.

For more information on the society, visit their website.