Lynn Florence
Director
Christmas Voucher Program 2017
Smoky River FCSS is pleased to announce the third year of the Smoky River FCSS Christmas Voucher Program! Applications can be picked up on November 14 at our office here in Falher or any municipal office in the Smoky River area.
Smoky River FCSS’s mandate is to stay in tuned with the changing needs of our residents which in the past few years have included food allergies, ethnicities, special diets , lack of consistency of items in the food hamper, storage issues etc. This is why in 2015 the Hamper program converted to a voucher program; in 2017, once again we will be offering a Christmas Voucher Certificate. Families and individuals will enjoy Christmas food of their choice as they purchased what their families’ need, which will encourage independency and responsibility.
In 2016, 211 residents of the Smoky River Region were assisted by this incredible program.
The Voucher Certificate has a specific amount of dollar amount that corresponds to the number of adults and children in the household. The voucher also has an expiration date. There will be no balance remaining on the voucher, no cash back, and is specific to food only purchases.
Volunteers will still be an integral part of the program by assisting in fund raising activities to cover the cost of the Voucher Certificate. Gifts for the youth aged 17 and under will still be purchased with funds raised and we are still accepting donations for them as well.
We are looking forward to working together with all of the communities and volunteers within the region as we venture into a new way of helping families and individuals during the Christmas season.
We are selling small Christmas nickel Angels for $11 and can be purchased at our office in Falher.
We look forward to challenges at the various schools and businesses in the Smoky River region to assist with the fundraising efforts of this amazing program, and we look forward to the results of the challenges. Organization and business correspondence will be mailed out asking for assistance with this fundraising endeavour and tax receipts will be issued for donations of $20 or more. Please make your cheques payable to the Town of Falher and mail them to Smoky River FCSS, Box 420, Falher, AB T0H 1M0 if you are not able to come into the office personally.
Soon you will also notice our many Santa boxes that are placed at many different locations throughout the Smoky River Region, so that individuals can make monetary donations. At each Santa box there are envelopes so that you may fill out your information for your tax receipts as well.
We will also be placing Christmas Trees with a paper ornament with a child’s age and gender in participating stores in Falher at the Red Apple and Co-op hardware store and at our FCSS office and in McLennan Home Hardware.
We are hoping this will make it easier for everyone who want to donate a gift to a child for Christmas.
You can choose an ornament and buy the gift and place it in the hamper/box provide in the store with the paper ornament you picked. This is to help with overage of certain age group or gender gifts.
Should you have any questions or would like to volunteer your time to any of our programs, please feel free to contact either Lynn or Diane at the office at (780) 837-2220 in Falher or McLennan on Tuesdays at (780) 324-3065.