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Published Feb 11, 2025 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 5 minute read
From its 2024 Kiwanis Christmas Food and Toy Drive, the Kiwanis Club of Pembroke recently made donations to three area charities that help people and families facing food insecurity. The St. Joseph’s Food Bank received $15,306 with the St. Vincent de Paul Society soup kitchen and The Grind each received $7,653. In the photo from left, Kiwanian Jay McLaren, campaign co-chairman, Kiwanis President Jeff Buske, Muggsie Boland, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Jerry Novack, The Grind executive director, Ken Lovely, food bank secretary and treasurer, Kiwanian Mac Plaunt, toy application vetter, and Kiwanian Mack Thrasher, campaign co-chairman. Anthony Dixon Photo by Anthony Dixon /jpg, PM, apsmcArticle content
Three not-for-profit community organizations had to wait a little longer for their Christmas gift from the Kiwanis Club of Pembroke but the wait was sure worth it.
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At its weekly meeting on January 22 at the Kiwanis Field House, the club presented $30,612 in proceeds from its 2024 Kiwanis Christmas Toy and Food Drive divided between the St. Joseph’s Food Bank, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and The Grind. Fifty per cent or $15,306, went to the food bank, with St. Vincent de Paul and The Grind splitting the remaining half, each receiving $7,653.
When the Salvation Army left Pembroke in 2019, it was the Kiwanis Club of Pembroke that picked up the annual Christmas Toy and Food Drive and has been working hard every year since to brighten the holiday season of local less fortunate families.
According to Kiwanian Jay McLaren, co-chairman of the Christmas Toy and Food Drive along with Kiwanian Mack Thrasher, this year the club received $33,544 in cash donations with expenses for purchased toys and supplies amounting $2,932. The remaining funds were then distributed to the three charities to help them feed people in the community facing food insecurity. The 2024 campaign provided Christmas toys to 257 children from 116 different families. The program also distributed toys to several other groups that serve less fortunate families, including BGC (formerly known as the Boys & Girls Club), Renfrew County Community Poverty Action Network (CPAN) and Got You in Mind thrift store.
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At the meeting where the proceeds were distributed, McLaren reflected on the campaign and the incredible amount of volunteer labour and generosity demonstrated by Kiwanians, ‘Friends of Kiwanis’, and the community that leads to its success.
“It is so exciting to report on this year’s Toy and Food Drive and to provide the cheques for cash donations received,” McLaren said. “This has been a very successful year from several perspectives. We have had a wonderful team of Kiwanians who have worked hard to make this project work.”
McLaren first thanked Kiwanians Karen Stewart and Mac Plaunt, who met at the food bank daily for over five weeks to accept and vet toy applications and record what each family wanted. He also acknowledged the dedicated work of Kiwanians Constance McLeese and Bruce Fink who picked up the money donation box at the mall every day from the campaign kick-off in mid-November right up until Christmas. McLeese and Fink also made all the bank deposits, but not before Kiwanians David Metzger Jr. And Karen Metzger, campaign treasurer, did the daily tally of donations.
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Kiwanian Brian Hugli was thanked for hosting a fundraising project at Hugli Blueberry Ranch and Kiwanian Mac Plaunt thanked for paying any bills due and keeping supplies stocked. Co-chairman Thrasher arranged for tables from the Town of Petawawa for toy sorting and coordinated corporate and business donations.
Other volunteers included Kevin Lalonde who picked up the toy donations from the Pembroke Mall, taking them to the Toy Factory located in the basement of Pembroke Metro who donates the use of their space for the initiative. Toy Elves Tony and Joanne Parent, Joan Trudell, Val Barber, Valedia Richards, and Marcel Mantha sorted and organized all the toys and packed the bags using the lists created from the family applications. Joan and Joanne do the toy shopping and also purchase toys throughout the year to take advantage of sale prices.
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McLaren acknowledged Tara Tunn who is the volunteer coordinator, who keeps track and schedules around 170 volunteer hours at the donation area in the Pembroke Mall.
Donations to the cause from various organizations were noted including the Rotary Club of Pembroke, the OPP Auxiliary’s Stuff the Cruiser, Renfrew County paramedics, and the Pembroke Professional Firefighters Association.
Jayne Brophy, general manager of the Pembroke Mall, was thanked for setting up the donation table along with the Christmas tree decorated in Kiwanis and Rotary colours and the fenced area to receive the thousands of donated toys.
Other corporations and groups noted for supporting with materials and donations were Smitty’s Home Hardware, Kitchissippi Productions, Canadian Tire, Giant Tiger, Roseburg Forest Products, Royal Lepage, Edmonds and Associates, Murphy Funeral Home and Chapel, Turcotte Real Estate Inc., OK Tire Pembroke, The Security Company, Neville Funeral Home Ltd., C.A. Reiche and Sons Ltd., King’s Sports, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 72, Peter E. Sylvestre Ltd., Pierre’s West End Garage, and ACW Holy Trinity Anglican Church Women.
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“The Kiwanis Club of Pembroke is so very grateful for the generous support of the public in this campaign,” McLaren added.
“Occasionally we get feedback. Every once in a while, someone will approach one of us and say, ‘I got toys from the Kiwanis Club at Christmas, and I could not believe the quality and the quantity of toys and how well they fit the needs of my kids.’ That’s your job, and you’ve done it well,” McLaren told the volunteers.
Kiwanis President Jeff Buske presented each of the charities with its donation. Accepting the donation on behalf of The Grind was its executive director, Jerry Novack, who said the Kiwanis Club was doing an amazing job and that the Christmas campaign was a well-oiled machine.
“We’re glad to be part of that, but it’s also nice to see that the funds that are raised go beyond Christmas and that we can now continue to do what you guys have started in December in making sure that the people’s and community’s needs are met,” Novack said.
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Representing the St. Vincent de Paul Society was Muggsie Boland who said with a smile that Jay (McLaren) would often say when making a donation to the charity, he wished it could be more.
“Well, in fact, Jay and Mack and Kiwanians, this is a huge, huge donation,” Boland said. “This money will kickstart us into the year 2025. We at Saint Vincent have grown in the number of folks that we help. Thus, this donation is a much-needed resource for us to remain consistent with the incoming requests of the needy in our town of Pembroke.”
Food bank secretary and treasurer Ken Lovely was in attendance to accept their donation. He said the current demand at the food bank sees them providing about 148,000 meals a year. He also acknowledged the great working relationship between the food bank and the Kiwanis Club of Pembroke which included McLaren assisting in their strategic planning and steering the process of the food bank coming up with a new building.
“We didn’t go in the direction that we originally planned, but we are buying the Holy Name Annex from the church and we’re in process of finalizing that now,” Lovely added.
McLaren concluded the event offering thanks one more time to everyone involved in the project and to its numerous, generous supporters.
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