Montréal's 2,400 firefighters put on a full throttle on the annual Christmas basket campaign in this crucial period of economic slowdown and increased poverty

MONTREAL, Nov. 30, 2023 /CNW/ - For the 36th year in a row, the 2,400 Montreal firefighters will take to the streets of the city to raise donations from the Montreal public, on the sidelines of their annual campaign of Christmas baskets for families in need, throughout the Island of Montreal.

Firefighters with retired colleagues and other volunteers work hard for the last few weeks to prepare gifts that will be offer to children during the traditional Christmas baskets distribution that will be held on next Saturday December 16, in all Montreal fire stations, and Tuesday morning December 19, with the launch of the direct delivery made by firefighters themselves on board of Montreal Fire trucks. (CNW Group/Association des pompiers de Montréal)

Firefighters will solicit motorists at the crossroads of many major streets, avenues and boulevards like they do it every year, starting from December 1 to 24.

"This large annual collection of monetary donations is the first phase of this major public campaign of our firefighters who reinvest each year the fruit of this street collection in the massive purchases of food that make up the baskets of distributed food" said the president of the Association des Pompiers de Montréal and head of the campaign, Chris Ross. He mentioned that in 2022 alone, more than 425 thousand dollars (425K $) were raised to be redistributed, this year, with thousands of poor families in the city.

Once again this year, a total of 1,200 families will receive the traditional Christmas baskets, all of which come with gifts for each of the children of the families selected by the Société Saint-Vincent-de-Paul; an early partner of Montreal firefighters.

500 families will receive as many large baskets worth $350 each: baskets that, as usual, will contain a turkey and everything necessary to allow these families to celebrate Christmas with dignity. Larger families will also receive an IGA gift card to meet special needs. In addition, 200 other families will receive similar but smaller baskets worth $200 each, accompanied by UNIPRIX and IGA gift cards. In addition, 500 families without children will receive Christmas greetings cards containing each of the IGA and UNIPRIX gift cards of great value, giving them the opportunity to buy some goods as they wish from these great merchants.

"For our firefighters, this annual campaign, which has become a tradition, is the ideal opportunity to give to the next but especially to give to those we have the mission to protect throughout the year." continued Mr. Ross by recalling that the distribution to families will take place in the Montreal Fire Department (SIM) stations on Saturday, December 16, however, the large and joyful distribution will take place on Tuesday morning, December 19, with direct delivery to families by active firefighters and their retired colleagues aboard the Montreal Firefighters trucks.

Ross concluded by inviting the wealthy to show even more generosity this year, at a time when inflation, the cost of rents and rising interest rates have pushed many young and old families into poverty, even indigence in many cases.

SOURCE Association des pompiers de Montréal

Source: Chris Ross, President; Contact: Alexandre Dumas, 514-898-4636 (cell), 514-843-1901 (direct line), [email protected]