Although there are several community fundraisers and events to help those in need this holiday season, not everyone can afford to wait.
To address the issue, volunteers associated with the Chatham Goodfellows and "The Gift" will be at a Chatham warehouse on Friday and Saturday to welcome residents who may benefit from donated items.
"The Gift Sharing Event" will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at 715 Richmond St. in Chatham.
Scott Williston, one of the organizers behind the event, said it will run on a first come first serve basis. Residents in need are encouraged to go to the warehouse, take a number, and they will be assigned a personal shopper.
Williston said assistance from a personal shopper will help get people in and out in a timely manner but will also ensure that everyone is taken care of.
"We're in a warehouse... it's not our building so we want to make sure we don't damage other people's property and we want to make sure that [items are] shared -- like one person doesn't take every blanket," he said. "We want to make sure that there's stuff available for everybody that comes in."
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only a limited number of people will be allowed in the warehouse at a time. Contact information will be collected for contact tracing purposes but Williston said aside from that, there will be no questions asked.
"I don't want anybody to feel ashamed or embarrassed if they need help," he said "We want them to come and we're going to help them without any questions [asked]. We're not going to look down on anybody, we've got a good team of people here that are going to help them."
Williston said there will be some toys available at the warehouse but there are other winter items available, as well as hundreds of pre-packaged food and hygiene bags.
"Most parents with kids are [already] on a hamper program but we're going to put stocking stuffers out and there will be some toys," said Williston. "We've got hygiene products, we've got food products, we've got some baby stuff that was donated, we've got lots of coats that were donated."
Meanwhile, residents who have registered to received food and toy hampers from the Chatham Goodfellows can start picking those up next week.
Food and toy hampers will be available for pick-up from 715 Richmond St. in Chatham on December 14. The warehouse will be open each day from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. from December 14 until December 17. Basket deliveries will be made on December 16 and December 17 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.