Windsor Goodfellows more than just a Christmas charity

By Alyssa Leonard

Many people in the Windsor area are familiar with the Windsor Goodfellows annual paper drive. It is held every November during the American Thanksgiving weekend, from early Thursday morning to Saturday at noon. Around 600 volunteers pace popular intersections across Windsor, accepting donations in exchange for the Goodfellows newspaper.

What some people do not know, is what the money they donate goes towards once the drive is over.

The not-for-profit runs a year-round food bank in downtown Windsor. It puts together boxes for both single people and families. People in need are allowed to come in once a month to receive a box of canned and dry foods. Starting in January, it will be carrying even more options.

“We’ll be carrying fresh milk and eggs and margarine,” said Bruce Tait, chair of the Goodfellows Paper Drive. “We have three large fridges we just had installed. That’ll just be something to add to people’s diets.”

Just before Christmas, people can sign up for their larger food boxes and toys for children. The Windsor Goodfellows Christmas Box also includes a gift card to use at a grocery store to purchase additional fresh groceries.

Packing for this year’s Christmas boxes will happen around the middle of December. Tait said more than 5,000 people will sign up for the Christmas and Gift services before Christmas.

Kurt Winkler, a resident of Windsor, said his family used the Goodfellows services back in 2015 and 2016. A family of five, he said they needed the extra help for Christmas. Winkler said they used the Goodfellows services over others because it “goes above and beyond.”

“We love them and have recommended them to others that we know may need help and assistance,” said Winkler.

Now that his family is ahead, he said they plan to give back this year.

“We are going to donate $1,000 to [the Goodfellows] this Christmas so we can give back to them as they have to us when we needed it.”

The Goodfellows also run a breakfast program in nine schools around Windsor from the months of September to June. It feeds around 1,500 students every morning, with the help of its Families First co-sponsor on Dougall Avenue.

In addition, it also provides around 1,500 new pairs of shoes and boots to children in junior kindergarten to Grade 8 annually. Schools write a letter for a student in need and the Goodfellows provide a voucher to be properly fitted for boots and/or shoes.

Gilbert Barichello, president of Windsor Goodfellows, said these two services are unique to Windsor.

“A student with cold feet or improper shoes in the classroom isn’t going to be learning very much,” said Barichello.

The boots and shoes program has now expanded to Tecumseh and LaSalle. He said both the Boots and Shoes and Breakfast programs will be expanding further in 2019.

The Windsor Goodfellows Club first formed in 1910. It is supported entirely through the generous donations of Windsor-Essex. It provides thousands of families with support and assistance, feeding well over 62,000 people every year.

The three-day paper drive brings in 43 per cent of their annual income.

Barichello said come Christmas time, many people offer to volunteer. But the real need for volunteers is during the rest of the year.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Windsor Goodfellows, want to learn more about what they do or wish to donate, visit their website at www.windsorgoodfellows.org.