Organizing a Christmas Hamper for your workplace is easier when you break it down into steps. Here’s how to organize a corporate hamper, plus links to non-profit organizations in Vancouver. If you aren’t in Vancouver, don’t jump ship! I also included a detailed set of instructions on how to give a Christmas Hamper, so you can see what’s involved.
How to Organize a Corporate Christmas Hamper
Food is always a welcome item for Christmas hampers – but the food has to be pre-packaged and tightly sealed. For instance, Healthy Snacks In-a-Box 
If you’re on the other end of the Christmas hamper – you’re a family who would like to apply for a Christmas Hamper in Vancouver or the Lower Mainland – scroll down towards the end of this article. There’s a list of Christmas Bureaus, food banks and Christmas Hampers for families in need in Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, New Westminster, and the Tricities.
Giving a corporate Christmas Hamper is one of the best things a business can do for the community at Christmas. When I worked at Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Vancouver and Calgary, I got to deliver Christmas hampers to the families I worked with. It was the most beautiful, joyous, amazing experience! The kids and parents were so grateful and happy, and appreciated the gifts so much.
A corporate Christmas Hamper is also a fun, bonding experience for your business. All you need is someone to contact the non-profit organizations that organize corporate Christmas Hampers, gather the gifts by a set date, and deliver the Christmas Hamper to the organization.
If you haven’t considered an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox, it’s not too late! Read Creative Gifts for an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox for details and links.
Corporate Christmas Hampers in Vancouver
“Most of the people we help at Family Services of Greater Vancouver live below the poverty line. So, we know that while it’s nice to receive Christmas gifts, what families really long for are vouchers for food, clothing, and other basics – items to help them get through day-to-day life. A gift to the Christmas Hamper Fund helps us reach more families, with 100% of all donations going directly to the recipients.”
Family Services of Greater Vancouver Christmas Hamper Fund – making the holidays a little brighter for those in need. During the holiday season, there are many wonderful ways to give to those in need. Please consider a gift to the Christmas Hamper Fund, a special program run by Family Services of Greater Vancouver to support underprivileged children, youth and families. A gift to the fund allows our agency to buy food and clothing vouchers for families who find it tough to meet their most basic needs during the holiday season. Make a donation to the Christmas Hamper Fund for Family Services of Greater Vancouver.
Image via Union Gospel Mission ~ Gifts of Hope ~ Christmas Hampers
Union Gospel Mission Christmas Hampers. Help make the holidays brighter for a family in need through Gifts of Hope, Union Gospel Mission’s Christmas hamper program. The hampers you put together are instilling hope in families who are struggling to make ends meet this season, as well as seniors and single women. Our community is deeply affected by poverty and loneliness, finding it challenging during the harsh winter months. Through the growth of our Women and Families services, UGM has identified that there are many vulnerable seniors and single women who are especially in need: women without children easily fall through the gaps as they do not qualify for services for children and families. Many seniors living in the Metro Vancouver are also facing days alone. To learn more about corporate Christmas Hampers through UGM, read Gifts of Hope at Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver.
YWCA Metro Vancouver Christmas Hampers. Help families in need this holiday season by sponsoring a family. Make a difference in the lives of low-income women and children by sponsoring a family in need this holiday season. By becoming a sponsor you will be matched with a family and provided with their “wish list.” Sponsors then shop for gifts and deliver the hamper to the family’s home. The approximate cost of a hamper for a single mother with one child is $300. We suggest $125 for each additional child in the family. For more info about this corporate Christmas Hamper in Vancouver, go to Holiday Giving – Presents of Peace.
Family Services of the North Shore Christmas Bureau brings hope to our community by helping low- income families with children 18 years or younger and low income adults 65 or older. Through Family Services of the North Shore Christmas Bureau’s Sponsor a Family Program, you can join with family, friends, or colleagues to create a Christmas hamper for one or more North Shore families.
How to Organize a Corporate Christmas Hamper
To give you an idea of how it works, here are the instructions for giving a corporate Christmas Hamper through Christmas Family Services of the North Shore Christmas Bureau:
How to Organize a Corporate Christmas Hamper
As a Christmas Hamper sponsor you will be matched with a family or families or a elderly single/couple. Tell us the size and/or number of families you wish to sponsor. We will provide you with the ages and gender of each family member, gift suggestions that will assist you with your purchases and an information package that explains hamper assembly, delivery and helpful hints. It is then up to you to create the hamper.
We Ask That You Follow The “One Box Rule.” Please keep your hamper to One Box only. To help meet this request, sponsors are encouraged to leave the grocery shopping to the family by providing a food certificate to a local grocery store. It’s the best way to shop for someone who might be a vegetarian, enjoy ethnic dishes, have food allergies or a special diet, and it’s easy to carry. Remember you have to deliver the corporate Christmas hamper to the hamper exchange in North Vancouver and the family will pick their hamper up. Grocery gift cards eliminate heavy cans, broken hampers and strained backs. OUCH!
How Much Does a Corporate Christmas Hamper Cost? For every member of a family $50 should be dedicated towards a grocery gift card. Therefore, a family of 4 would receive $200 in grocery certificates. A small gift, approx. value $30 would also be included in the hamper for each family member (around $120). You can count on your hamper costing at least $320 for a family of 4. To sponsor a single parent with one child, you will provide a $100 grocery gift card and two gifts, approx. $30 each. Total for two people will be $160, for a single person $80.
More often than not sponsors will include some fun extras such candles, chocolates, and napkins. Hampers can be a laundry hamper, large basket, gift bag or decoratively wrapped box, enclosed with cello and tied with a bow. It is entirely your choice on how you wish to dress it up. Have fun with the presentation, but PLEASE REMEMBER THE “ONE BOX RULE”.
When Must the Christmas Hampers Be Ready? All hampers must be delivered to the Christmas Hamper Exchange (a location and date to be determined) unless prior arrangements have been made through the Christmas Bureau. An undelivered hamper means a very disappointed family, so please remember.
How Does the Hamper Reach Your Family? We are very careful with all sponsored corporate Christmas hampers in Vancouver. They are collected, organized by Family Registration Number, and kept in a secure location for pick-up the following day. Families have been given prior notice of the date their hamper will be available for pick-up. Volunteer drivers are on site to help out if families arrive without transportation.
Our Program Respects Our Client’s Privacy. We respect and protect the privacy of each family receiving assistance. Our families are grateful for your help, but are often embarrassed by their circumstances; therefore home deliveries are not encouraged and are only approved if we have received prior permission from our client.
Your Corporate Christmas Hamper Donation Is Tax Deductible. Keep all your original receipts. Download your “Tax Receipt Request Form” to record your purchases and submit it to the Christmas Bureau upon delivery of your hamper. Receipts for the purchase of grocery gift cards must be submitted with your Tax Receipt Request Form. Please allow 4 – 6 weeks for your Tax Receipt to be mailed.
What Else Can You Do? If you are unable to sponsor a family in Vancouver at this time but still wish to help, we gratefully accept cash donations (Visa and MasterCard welcome), new toys, gift and grocery gift cards. A tax receipt will be issued for all cash donations over $20.
To become a sponsor please go to Sponsor a Family or contact the Christmas Bureau at 604-984-9627.
Christmas Hampers in Vancouver for Families in Need
Vancouver Christmas Bureau. Registration office: 205 Victoria Drive, Vancouver BC. More information at http://www.lmcb.ca/ or contact Cheryl to register at 604-253-7191
Salvation Army. Contact Major Russ Holland at 604-872-7676 for more information.
Broadway Church with City Reach Food Bank. Contact Damaris at damarisg@cityreach.org or Sarah at sarahs@cityreach.org, or call 604-254-2489. Food Bank open Tuesdays from 7PM-8:30PM (doors open at 6PM) and Thursdays from 10:30AM-12PM (doors open at 9:30AM).
Christmas Hampers in Surrey
Surrey Christmas Bureau. Adopt-A-Family Program, Emergency Food Bank, grocery vouchers and toys for families. The Adopt-A-Family (AAF) program matches families who have registered with the SCB with sponsor families, businesses and other organizations. AAF sponsors take on the responsibility of providing Christmas breakfast, lunch and dinner and gifts for the family they are matched with For registration details visit http://christmasbureau.com/registration/
Sources Community Resource Centre Food Bank. Donated clothing, household and personal hygiene items are also available. For more information visit http://www.sourcesbc.ca/ or call 604-531-8168
Christmas Hampers in Burnaby and in New Westminster
Burnaby Christmas Bureau. For Burnaby families with children age 16 or younger, and are low-income. For registration details visit http://www.burnabycommunityconnections.com/pdfs/christmas_registrationinfo_2012.pdf or contact MJ Buck at 604-299-5778
New Westminster Christian Reformed Church. Providing food hampers for those people in the surrounding neighbourhood of Burnaby, New West, in need of short-term food assistance. Apply at http://www.nwcrc.ca/care/bread-ministry-food-hampers/ or call 604-521-0111
The Salvation Army New Westminster. Grocery vouchers and toys for families. Contact Lyn at 604-868-7672
Christmas Hampers in North Vancouver
Family Services of North Shore Christmas Bureau. Application forms are available at the following locations:
- Harvest Project
- North Shore Neighbourhood House
- Family Services of the North Shore
- North Shore Multicultural Society
- North Shore Health Unit
- The Salvation Army
Christmas Hampers in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody
SHARE Society. Provides food and emergency hampers for residents of the Tricities. Also provides toys and hampers through their Christmas program.
Food hampers are distributed at three locations every Wednesday:
- 2615 Clarke St. Port Moody (rear of building) 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM (Numbers are given out at 9:00 AM)
- 2211 Prairie Ave., Port Coquitlam (Trinity United Church) 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- 535 Marmont St., Coquitlam (Como Lake United Church) 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM (Number’s are given out at 10:00 AM)
If you have any thoughts on corporate Christmas hampers in Vancouver, please comment below…
Related reading: Corporate Gift Ideas for Business Clients and Colleagues.
