Holiday turkey campaign gets a helping hand from volunteers amid Canada Post strike

The strike by Canada Post workers has thrown a huge wrench into the House of Friendship Turkey Drive.

The Kitchener-Conestoga Rotary Club sends out thousands of letters every year seeking donations for the annual fundraiser. Those funds are then used to purchase food vouchers and turkeys for the less fortunate over the holidays.

CTV News stopped by the Rotary Club on Friday to find their board room turned into a temporary mail room.

“We’ve got 4,700 letters that are undelivered at this point. We can’t wait for the strike to end,” said organizer Brian Hunter. “The House of Friendship has committed to provide a turkey and a voucher for Christmas trimmings, for a dinner, for 4,600 people or families.”

That effort has now been disrupted by the job action as donations by mail area major fundraiser for the program.

“The last two years has averaged about 150,000 in donations,” Hunter explained. “It’s critical that we get these letters into the hands of the recipients.”

So they’ve brought in around 70 volunteers, on short notice, to help.

“I had a schoolteacher this morning said she would get her Grade 8 students to help deliver,” said Hunter. “At the moment, we’re up to 72 volunteers. I think we need 100.”

Some of them are on sorting duty while others are doing door-to-door deliveries.

John and Betty Galbraith are two of the long-time volunteers helping out.

“We volunteered for House of Friendship for quite awhile,” he told CTV News. “And the emergency food hamper program. The need is off the charts. Off the charts.”

John and Betty Galbraith in an interview with CTV News Kitchener. (Jeff Pickel/CTV News)

The dedication of volunteers is appreciated by both organizations.

“This program really pulls in a lot of people who normally wouldn’t feel comfortable asking for help,” explained Sarah Andrews, volunteer coordinator for the House of Friendship. “It’s a time where we would like to sit and have a big meal, hopefully a turkey or chicken, with our family.”

The Rotary Club and House of Friendship are still accepting donations and volunteers for the Turkey Drive campaign.