A two-day fill-the-ambulance weekend donation drive by Kimz Angels in Langley raised about $3,000, but didn’t collect as much food and other solid goods as Kim Snow, the founder of the non-profit outreach agency, was hoping.
“We got enough, but not as much as we normally get,” Snow estimated.
She credited an “amazing” commitment to match donations made by Focus West logistics, which hosted the event at its warehouse in Walnut Grove, and a fundraising drive by a neighbouring business, The Barley Merchant taproom and restaurant.
“We wouldn’t have had as much,” Snow told the Langley Advance Times.
“We wouldn’t have done as well at all. So there’s $3,000 that we wouldn’t have had.”
The Barley Merchant, with Mike Gee from The Seamus Gee Legacy Project, raised more than $2,000, and a trunk full of toys, plus a couple hundred pounds of food.
Individual donations were smaller than previous years, Snow noticed over the weekend, ascribing that to the current economic hard times.
“We want to thank everybody. Even with the way the economy is, we still have so many kind people who came out and gave – even though they didn’t have as much. But they still gave. That means a lot,” Snow commented.
“That says a lot about our community.”
READ ALSO: A Langley agency that helps the needy is struggling to keep up with demand
This year, with demand increasing, Kimz Angels’ Christmas campaign got off to an early start, with donations welcomed at Focus West Logistics in the weeks leading up the two-day event.
Another Kimz Angels donation drive will happen outside the Murrayville IGA at 22259 48th Ave. on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16 and 17, with the ambulance, Santa, and RCMP on scene from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“That’ll kind of wrap it [the season] up,”Snow said.
She expects there will be more grocery items donated by people at the IGA event.
“Because they’re shopping. So they’ll come out [with food].”
READ ALSO: Those needing food and other assistance more than doubled, says Langley charity
People who can’t make it to the drop-off can still contribute by emailing info@kimzangels.com or by phoning 604-838-6579.
Suggested donor items this season include canned food, baby food, dried pasta, cash donations, gift cards, and new and unused toys.