Need for Christmas Aid Nearly Doubles at Bridges to Hope

Bridges to Hope, which provides food and goods to people in need, says the demand for their services continues to rise.

Executive director Lesley Burgess says they’ve been collecting goods, food and funds to support their annual Miracle on Cookstown Road Christmas campaign.

She says their foodbank serves about 1500 people every month, and they recently took 1900 applications for their Christmas assistance program.

That’s a dramatic increase from last year says Burgess.

“Just to put it in perspective, we saw almost 1900 applications this year, compared to last year when we supported just under 1100 people. It’s a very significant increase.”