Timmins charities work around postal strike for annual fundraising campaigns

With the Canadian Union of Postal Workers on strike, two non-profit organizations in Timmins have come up with ideas to ensure they still receive donations during the festive season.

The Timmins and District Hospital Foundation and the Alzheimer Society are both encouraging online or in-person donations.

With the Canadian Union of Postal Workers on strike, two non-profit organizations in Timmins have come up with ideas to ensure they still receive donations during the festive season. The Timmins and District Hospital Foundation and the Alzheimer Society are both encouraging online or in-person donations. (Photo from video)

For 32 years, the Timmins and District Hospital Foundation has mailed Christmas cards for its direct mail fundraising initiative.

This year, funds raised from the campaign will help with the purchase of cardiac monitors in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

"The tradition of the annual Christmas card campaign still appeals to a large percentage of our donors," said the Foundation's Barb McCormick.

"And the reason for that is they still enjoy writing their check and sending the cards back to us in the mail ... Also enclosed in this package is a Christmas greeting that we will hang in the hospital for our staff that are working over the Holidays and any patients that are here during that period."

The foundation doesn't know if everyone in the region received the cards due to the postal strike. And donors won’t be able to mail them back until the strike is over.

"What we would like to recommend to all of our community members from near and far is that hold on to your envelopes and then send them out to us when the strike has been resolved," McCormick said.

Or if you’re in the neighbourhood, the foundation invites you to drop the cards off at its office in the hospital or donate through the foundation’s website.

The Alzheimer Society also runs a fundraising campaign at this time of year.

"Thankfully, this year we did not have a plan in place to do a direct mail campaign that went out via mail," said Tracy Koskamp-Bergeron of Alzheimer Society Cochrane-Temiskaming.

"We do have an email direct mail campaign, which is the holiday campaign."

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People are invited to donate in honour of a loved one who’s living with dementia or someone who’s passed.

"And without mail, we have to rely on technology so people can make an online donation or they can come in and we have a tip-tap machine that they can use their credit card to tap," Koskamp-Bergeron said.

The tip-tap machine is located at the Alzheimer Society’s office located in the 101 Mall. Digital receipts are issued at the same time.

The hospital foundation reminds people it can only issue receipts for the year in which it receives the gift.