King's community joins together to give back

The holiday season is a time of counting one’s blessings but also realizing that others are not so fortunate. This is the time of year where King’s students and employees come together to help others in our community.

The Step into Christmas campaign, led by King’s Campus Ministry, is collecting shoe boxes of gifts and essentials to be distributed to those who come to St. Joe’s Café through the Christ the King University Parish Outreach Program. Donations of empty shoeboxes as well as new waterproof gloves/mitts, hats, wool socks, toiletries, chocolate and other small items can be left in the boxes in the Wemple Chapel. There will be a wrapping party on December 6 where the shoe boxes will be wrapped for donation.

“Many at St. Joe’s Café have told us that this was the only present they received at Christmas. King’s generosity over the last number of years has been inspiring. We often collect over 300 shoeboxes,” says Annette Donovan Panchaud, Campus Minister. King’s Campus Ministry and the King’s community will return to St. Joe’s Café on December 10 to serve the less fortunate.

King’s Campus Ministry will also be holding the Advent Drive for Young Families for the London Crisis Pregnancy Centre to assist families struggling with the financial obligations of raising a child. New, unwrapped donations of diapers, clothing, sleepers, and other items needed for the care of an infant can also be left in the empty box in the Wemple Chapel before December 16, 2022.

The HBK Relay for Life is hosting a variety of fundraisers in late November/early December, including hot chocolate sales, gift wrapping, a winter carnival and winter social. All of the proceeds will support the Canadian Cancer Society.

The School of Social Work and the John Howard Society of London have teamed up to organize a Holiday Gift Drive for children and teens who are at-risk, low-income and/or whose parents are incarcerated. Pick a tag off the "clothesline" hung on the Social Work office window (LH216) and purchase a present for a child this holiday season.

The School of Social Work also held a clothing drive from November 14-25 to support the Unity Project and London Cares. They set out boxes around campus, asking people to donate gently-used coats, boots and mittens as well as new underwear, socks, hats, toiletries and hand/feet warmers.

The Social Action Committee’s Cheerful Community Cards brings holiday cards, donated by the King’s community, to residents staying in local agencies such as Elmwood Place Long Term Care, Parkwood Institute's Geriatric, Psychiatry Units and Adult Treatment and Rehabilitation Units, Victoria Hospital's ICU, PICU and COVID Hot Zone Unit, and more. A donation box will be in the library from November 28 - December 9.

The Student Emergency Fund has been set up to support students who are facing hardships. Employees can arrange a regular donation through payroll deduction by completing theonline form and returning it to Kim Malcolm, Acting Executive Director, Alumni & Development. For those who wish to make a one-time donation, please go to www.kings.uwo.ca/give.

The King’s annual United Way campaign continues, with payroll deduction as an easy and convenient way for employees to support the less fortunate in our community. The United Way committee will be holding a 50/50 draw and a basket auction as part of the Employee Christmas luncheon on December 22. Non-perishable food items will also be collected for the food bank as part of the luncheon.

King’s would like to thank everyone who has organized and contributed to these fundraising and gift-giving initiatives. Those in our community will appreciate the efforts, especially at this time of year.