650 CKOM’s Adopt-a-Family celebrates drop off day

Sounds of packing tape, boxes folding and Christmas music filled Market Mall Saturday as 650 CKOM’s Adopt-a-Family rounded out another year of city-wide generosity.

Since 1988, people across the city have been sponsoring families in Saskatoon to ensure there are enough presents under the tree and food on the table in time for the holidays by checking off each family’s Christmas wish list.

Rather than contacting the families directly like previous years, The Salvation Army changed the routine and allowed sponsors the opportunity to drop off all the items at once at Market Mall.

Matt Hoeft, the Saskatoon Salvation Army’s director of family services, said there’s no telling what the generosity means to the families involved in Adopt-a-Family.

“We hope that we can provide every family that needs help at Christmas, and this program really helps us do that,” Hoeft said.

Volunteers load boxes full of groceries and toys as part of 650 CKOM’s Adopt-a-Family at Market Mall on Dec. 14, 2019. (Keenan Sorokan/650 CKOM)

Over 20 volunteers were organizing items, loading them into boxes and preparing them for delivery next week.

Julie Tenaschuk sponsored a families for six years with coworkers at her previous job. Even with a different employer, she’s continuing the tradition of giving.

“I don’t really know how to describe it — it’s a good Christmas feeling,” she said. “We do less and less gifts within our family. This is where we spend our money.”

Being able to talk to her sponsor family over the phone and connect with their needs meant a lot to Tenaschuk.

“You still get that personal connection from it without having to go into their home and making it uncomfortable for them in any way,” she said.

Outdoing her previous efforts was Glenda McCormick and her husband, Kevin. The couple got their sons involved to sponsor three separate families in Saskatoon.

“Our children and grandchildren are going to have a very nice Christmas,” she said. “We wanted to make sure that other families enjoy the same kind of Christmas.”

It’s the McCormick family’s first time taking part in Adopt-a-Family, but Glenda admitted one of her granddaughters is persuading her to sign up again next year.

No matter the occasion, McCormick said no family should go without its fair share of Christmas cheer during the holidays.

“Tough times or not, they deserve to have some time during the holidays where they can relax a little bit and enjoy watching their kids — just like the rest of us,” she said.