Christmas may still be 91 days away, but Christmas Sharing in Belleville is already hard at work with the launch of their 2026 fundraising campaign.
The Christmas Sharing program provides families in Belleville who are struggling with food insecurity by providing meal assistance for one of the biggest holidays of the year. In 2025, the program helped 1,335 households. With the rising costs of food, Program Coordinator Sherwin Sam says that the need for help in the community is always growing.
“If you are in need of support, there is a space for you here. If you are in a fortunate position to support the community, we have a space for you here,” said Sam. “Word of mouth is how we’ve been operating so far, so spread the word and make Christmas brighter for everybody in the community. ”
This year marks the 59th year of the program. The fundraising campaign has two major events planned so far. Coming up on October 17 is the first annual walkathon, taking place in Riverside Park. The annual Turkey Bingo will also be making a return this year, set to go in December. Cathy Orr, chair of the board of directors said that they’re also already planning for their 60th anniversary campaign next year.
“I’m really committed to addressing food insecurity issues that we see that are, you know, increasing in our area and the Christmas sharing program,” said Orr. “I feel it is really important at Christmas time to make sure that people have at least the necessities that they need to have a nice Christmas dinner with their family and provide for their their family a nice meal.”
Those who are in need of assistance will be able to apply between November 2 and November 27, at their office on the second floor of Century Village.
