PENTICTON – Volunteers with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Drive have been busy this week.

Chair Pat Lovering says volunteers have been working in the basement of St. Ann’s Catholic Church packing food and gifts into hampers for distribution this weekend.

“I”m looking out at a hive of activity. It’s very encouraging,” Lovering says.

Volunteers will have the hampers packed today, Dec. 15, except for the turkey or ham requested by the recipient. Those will be last into the hampers prior to delivery on Saturday.

Lovering says the group has been working since Saturday setting up tables and organizing the 360 hampers requested so far. She expects by this Saturday the group will have reached last year’s total of 380 hampers, noting demand has been steady the past few years.

“We’re maybe a little less than last year at this point, but by Saturday I expect we’ll be pretty close to last year’s numbers,” she says.

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