630 CHED Santas Anonymous delivery days start – Edmonton | Globalnews.ca

Vehicles lined up bright and early Saturday morning to fill up on bags to deliver Christmas gifts to less fortunate families. 630 CHED Santas Anonymous executive director Angel Benedict said the need has grown 50 per cent compared to last year, with 20,000 children requesting a gift.

“Last year we had roughly 6,300 families and this year we are closer to 9,000 families. That is a big increase for us.”

“That means there’s more toys, more books, more teddy bears — there’s also a lot more work here,” Benedict said.

It also means more of demand for delivery truck drivers. Usually the bag limit is capped at eight, and this year if people are willing to take more, they can.

“I think the record (Saturday) is over 20 bags,” Benedict said.

Darryl Nipshank was part of the first wave of drivers. The 45-year-old remembers receiving gifts when he was a kid and he wanted to give back.

“It’s going to be emotional because I was that kid.”

Nipshank said it would often be the only gift he would receive for Christmas.

“I know my mother, at the time, she wasn’t able to provide. I understood as much as a young child could, and during those time you tell that this meant something to her.

“As a youth I was part of this program and having gotten a gift at that time — during those tough times — really inspired me to give back,” Nipshank said.

He hopes that inspiration will continue on to the next generation.

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