by Sylene Argent
With the holiday season here, individuals tend to dig deep to donate to a myriad of causes that support local individuals and families experiencing economic hardships.
On Friday and Saturday, volunteers with Essex Fire & Rescue, students from the St. Clair College Firefighting program, and members of the Essex Region Goodfellows took to major intersections within the Town of Essex-including in Essex, Harrow, and McGregor Centres, and at Cozy Corners-to collect funds through the Essex Region Goodfellow’s annual Newspaper Campaign. In addition, members of local Knights of Columbus Councils collected funds at storefronts.
In exchange for a donation, passersby received a specially designed newspaper that highlighted to where the donations collected through the program would be forwarded.
At an upcoming Essex Region Goodfellows’ meeting, the funds will be divided-up between the Essex Area Food Bank, the Essex Salvation Army, and the Harrow and McGregor chapters of the St. Vincent de Paul.
“It went well,” Essex Region Goodfellows’ Chairperson Ken Broughton said of the 2018 Newspaper Campaign. He suspected, thanks to the generosity of those who donated and to the dedication of volunteers, the Newspaper Campaign raised around $50,000, which exceeded last year’s total. In 2017, the four causes each received around $11,000.
“The food banks depend on it,” Broughton said of the donation. “We have to be there for them. They rely on us. We came through for them.”
Broughton was thankful to the generosity of everyone who donated and to those who volunteered their time to be a part of the campaign.