A record number of Christmas hampers will likely go out this year in the Rural Municipality of Tache.

Robert Rivard is President of the Tache Food Resource Centre, the organization responsible for providing Christmas hampers to residents of Lorette, Landmark and Ross. He says last year they handed out 90 hampers, and this year they are anticipating that number will reach 104. This year's pickup is happening on Friday and Saturday of this week.

Rivard says his committee is not surprised by the increased need this year.

"Because of the COVID and the circumstances with people's employment and everything that's been going on, we were kind of expecting that there would be more people that needed it this year," he explains. "And the results are showing that we weren't wrong, that there are more people that are finding it a harder time to make ends meet this year."

Committees in Tache and De Salaberry want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to cook a Christmas dinner this year.The group in Tache has decided against handing out the traditional hamper, which usually consists of a turkey and other foods. Rather, those who have signed up will be getting gift cards for groceries as well as a family gift, gifts for the children and then coffee and COVID masks.

"For some of the families, this is all that they will have," he says. "So it means a lot to them."

Rivard says the monetary value of a hamper depends on the size of the family. He notes each hamper receives a $50 gift card base amount, plus an additional $50 per family member. That means a family of four will receive $250 worth of gift cards for groceries. He notes an average hamper is valued at between $350 and $400. Rivard says most of the gift cards are for the Marketplace in Lorette, as his group is trying to support local businesses.

According to Rivard, this is all paid for through donations. He notes they receive some help from the RM of Tache, as well as the local Thrifty Treasures store in Lorette. The rest comes from local businesses and individuals from the community.

Rivard says the 104 hampers will bless around 275 individuals this year. Those individuals will pick up their hampers on Friday and Saturday from locations in Lorette, Landmark and Ross.

"It's just a great experience to be able to do this for the families that need it," he says. "The look of joy on their faces is something amazing."

Meanwhile, the Christmas hampers have now been delivered in the Rural Municipality of De Salaberry. Marcelle Lahaie, President of the committee says because of the pandemic, they too opted to give gift cards rather than a traditional food hamper. The gift card is to a local grocery store, for either the St. Malo Co-op or the St. Pierre Bigway.

According to Lahaie, this year they handed out 48 hampers, which is right on par with past years, even though it was anticipated that the COVID-19 pandemic would result in a higher total.

"We figured people might not have gone back to work," says Lahaie. "And if the government was cutting out CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit), then people would need more."

Lahaie says depending on the size of a family, the monetary value of one of their hampers could be in excess of $300. And, thanks to the generosity of residents, they were able to raise enough money to cover their costs.