The gathering of food and toys has largely been completed, the packing began Tuesday and deliveries begin Wednesday for Steinbach Community Christmas. Co-chair Roger Blatz says students from local schools spent all day Tuesday packing non-perishable goods into the hampers. Perishables will be added Wednesday morning with deliveries to start in the afternoon. Blatz says that process will be repeated again on Thursday and Friday as well as next Monday and Tuesday. He adds the number of families needing a hand up this Christmas has grown from last year.

"We're a bit higher. We are one or two hampers away from 1,000 even. We have ordered enough food for 1,000 and we are at our cap."

Blatz says it appears the donations will be close to meeting the need, noting the toy drive last week was amazing. He calls the response magnificent.

"If we're short, we have had other people stepping up to see where the need is. Cash and food are coming in steadily. A lot of the schools are still collecting food and toys and most of that will wrap up this week. There is usually a little trickle of food and most of that food gets put on the regular shelves for the regular (food bank) clients. We should be fine cash-wise. We will see where that lands, that's usually a moving target until mid-January before we collect enough money to cover this."

Community Christmas buys all of the food for the hampers so that each family gets the same fixings for Christmas dinner.

Blatz thanks the community for its generosity and adds it truly is a Community Christmas again this year.

"Thanks to our community for helping us out. Without our community and all the support of all the southeast, everyone around us, the businesses, the individuals who take the time to put out the money and all the volunteers who help out, we can't do it."

Empty boxes were set out Monday. They were filled Tuesday and Wednesday morning with deliveries to start in the afternoon.