Christmas baskets packed with food, supplies help families 'get ahead a little bit'

Dozens of elves were working a little bit of Christmas magic in a Halifax-area communityThursday morning.

Inside the East Preston Family Resource Centre, volunteers were filling upgift baskets to help support 80 families in the Preston area.

"There are many organizations here and many people have come to help," said Trina Fraser, the centre's executive director.

"We are doing up packages, through generous donations from Sobeys, to pass out to families that partake in programs here at our family resource centre."

Fraser said Sobeys teamed up with the Metro Care andShare Society, a registered charity that helps pay for students' university tuition, to pull the Christmas baskets together.

"It's so good that families can be together at Christmastime," said Mel Boutilier, society president. "But they also need many things after Christmas."

KayvontJohnson is one of the young people whose tuition the society hopes to help pay. The Grade 10 studenthelped organize the Christmas basketevent.

"I just wanted to help out people who are in need at Christmastime," said Johnson. "There are those who maybe can't afford a Christmas dinner and stuff like that, so we're just helping them out."

Three rooms were used for packing baskets, including one for food items. The other rooms focused onsupplies for teenagers and babies.

Cynthia Thompson, communications director forSobeys, said the companyhas been active with many Christmas programs in dozens of Nova Scotia communities as part of its Star of Christmas campaign.

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The baskets were to be delivered to families in North Preston, East Preston and Cherry Brook.

"We look at this as an opportunity for families to get ahead a little bit," said Fraser. "Especially this time of year we have many families who come here.

"Many of them work but in today's society, with the cost of food being high and the cost of living, it can get difficult at times."