By Shauna McGinn
The holiday season can make many folks feel stretched thin, juggling the financial demands of bills and necessities with gifts and extras. That’s where the Wakefield Emergency Fund (WCEF) comes in.
For more than 25 years, it has provided over $30,000 annually in relief to locals in need, acting as a safety net for tough times.
“Families start to feel the financial crunch as soon as school starts in September with added expenses, and then the additional costs that winter brings,” board member Andrée Grand-Maître wrote to the Low Down in an email.
Knowing this, the WCEF plans for their winter season initiatives as soon as the fall hits, with their snowsuit campaign starting as early as October. This year, they outfitted 26 local kids with warm winter gear.
“We work directly with local schools to identify families in need,” Grand-Maître said. “We have always been able to provide for every child.”
They also recently wrapped up their annual Toy Mountain campaign (for which the Low Down is a partner), providing gifts to nearly 100 children in need. Still, she noted that donations are down this year for some programs.
“It’s a reality of our current times, when more and more families struggle to make ends meet,” she wrote. While she said the WCEF feels confident all needs will be met, there is always room for extra help.
Right now, the Christmas Hamper program is underway in partnership with the Wakefield General Store. The Fund is aiming to provide at least 20 hampers, and could use support in terms of volunteers, food or financial donations. Grand-Maître noted that the WCEF supports local food banks and school breakfast programs that have also felt financial strain this year, so donations there would be an important boost.
She also highlighted the points transfer program currently underway at the Wakefield General Store. Until the end of December, “Folks can transfer their points to the WCEF account. Donations help provide much needed supplies and fresh goods to local families in need throughout the year.”
Grand-Maître said the community’s year-round support makes this work possible and “enables the WCEF to be effective in its quick response as the need arises.”
As their mission statement reads, the fund is “by the community and belongs to the community.”