NOTL gives back to Newark Neighbours, children in hospital

An outpouring of generosity at an event held Saturday ensured families who rely on Newark Neighbours for help and children in the hospital during the holiday season will feel remembered at Christmas.

The town, teaming up with the Niagara-on-the-Lake Minor Hockey Association, Revel Realty and Team MAC, were behind the very successful NOTL Gives Back, an event held at the Mary Snider Room in the Centennial Arena to collect donations for Newark Neighbours and McMaster Children’s Hospital.

Food items and new or gently used clothing were collected for Newark Neighbours, with president Cindy Grant on-hand to witness the generosity displayed by the community.

The food bank has been seeing an increasing number of families and individuals in need that began during the pandemic and is still growing. At Thanksgiving, Grant says, Newark Neighbours helped about 50 families, and she expects there will be about 55 to 60 register for Christmas dinner, which includes food and gifts.

There are about 20 organizations and events already offering assistance, including the Candlelight Stroll, churches, wineries, schools, real estate agents, local businesses and many others, says Grant, grateful for the amazing support Newark receives every year at this time.

Jessie MacDonald of Revel Realty and Team MAC says she has been committed to collecting toys for children at Christmas for many years. It began when she was a teacher in St. Catharines 12 years ago, and realizing not all children experienced the same joy on Christmas morning that others take for granted, she decided to make a difference in their lives.

“We get very used to the idea that we have food on the table, new clothes and toys at Christmas, but it’s a challenge for some people,” she says. She organized collections first at her school, and expanded it with donations to Community Care.

Then, after having two babies in the neo-natal unit at McMaster, when she saw first-hand how hard it was for children in the hospital over the holiday, and parents struggling to juggle jobs, driving back and forth to be with their kids, and no time to think about Christmas shopping, she decided she wanted to try to “bring some normalcy to kids in the hospital” by ensuring they had gifts to celebrate at Christmas.

Partnering with NOTL Minor Hockey was a great way to expand the community of those involved, and it was good to see the kids learning there are other kids who are not as fortunate as they are, and doing something to help them, says MacDonald.