From left: Tina Drummond, Helen Urlacher and Carolyn Eremko get ready to spread holiday delight during a previous Christmas hamper event. (Submitted Photo/Helen Urlacher)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Wilkie Hampers

Christmas miracle: Wilkie hampers will go out this year

Nov 17, 2023 | 3:00 PM

A Christmas miracle has happened in Wilkie.

The Wilkie Christmas Hamper Committee will be able to bring holiday cheer once more after a social media post last week stated they were unable to continue.

“Wow, what an amazing response,” said Helen Urlacher, president of the committee who will be stepping down after this year of transition. “So many people have stepped forward to keep the committee going.”

Urlacher took over the presidency two years ago after having been a hamper recipient when her children were young.

“The excitement on the (kids’) faces when they’ve seen all the food that I normally wouldn’t buy and candies and treats, they were always just so happy,” she said.

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The hampers came with all the items needed to make up a perfect Christmas meal with a turkey and stuffing along with a gift card for extras. They even had items to make up a Christmas breakfast.

“They were always just so happy and the extra added presents that they would add in with the hampers and stuff too, it just made it that much better,” Urlacher added.

Money was tight, especially around the holidays and as a single mom, she loved seeing her children “ecstatic and happy.”

“It was a help, it was the biggest help at all, like ever, around that time of the holidays always, so it was really important for me to receive it,” she said.

“That made the magic for Christmas even better.”

According to Urlacher, the committee has been around for decades but over the last few years, the numbers of volunteers were dwindling until last year when she was one of the last members standing. The overwhelming need became too much, and the decision was made to close. That is until the community took it upon itself to respond to the need with gusto.

Traditionally, the advertising for donations would begin after Remembrance Day and would receive boxes, and items such as non-perishable food before the sorting and packing would begin. Following that, the nominations of families in need would roll in, and residents of Scott were asked to join in to help.

“We’d get together, put the boxes together and then come delivery day, we’d have a bunch of Santa’s helpers,” she said, noting the volunteers would go around the neighbourhoods for drop off the weekend prior to Christmas.

Going forward Urlacher hopes those who take over will come up with fresh ideas for deliveries or even how things are run.

“They have blueprints for whatever they want to put their spin on it and it’s a really fabulous bunch of ladies,” she said.

“Just good people in this community that just have stepped up and…I can see really good things happening with this group.”

A meeting will be held at Norman Carter Elementary School (202 7 Ave E,) on Mon., Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.

“Bring ideas and an open mind, pen and paper and just big hearts.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @jls194864