As a kid, Craig Dow didn’t fully understand why firefighters dropped off toys in his Sudbury neighbourhood around the winter holidays.
But, like many adults now, he understands it a bit more.
“Community is that beautiful spirit of people looking out for one another and choosing to be happy together, no matter what,” Dow said.
Since 2018, Dow has organized a grassroots hamper initiative around the Orléans and Gloucester area, packing cardboard boxes with food and treats for families in need. This year, he’s planning on handing out around 30 hampers after parsing through an influx of more than 100 requests.
The number of this year’s requests tops the previous years he’s put them together, Dow said, adding he feels there’s more of a sense of urgency. Last year, he supplied 36 families with fully stocked hampers in time for holiday meals.
“I think I can make a difference,” Dow said. “And I’d like to be able to support as many people as possible.”
More than a quarter of households in Canada face some form of food insecurity, according to the 2025 Ottawa Hunger Report put out by the Ottawa Food Bank. The report added that local food banks, like the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard, were seeing record-high demand, while their fundraising had plateaued.
Besides the more classic holiday foods like ham, turkey, cookies and milk, Dow said he catered the hampers to different families’ wants and needs. As an extra holiday surprise, he added some sweets this year: five Lindt chocolates per person, holiday flavours and all.
This year, he’s raised more than $5,500. Though a little less than last year, Dow works with what he’s given.
“It’s overwhelming the amount of people who want to make donations, help with shopping and deliver hampers,” Dow said. “For random people to donate their time and their money is simply amazing.”
Dow said the initiative had slowly become a yearly tradition for his family, too.
Together with his two kids, wife and cousin, they plan the meals, price-match the ingredients, box all the hampers in their living room and kitchen and then distribute them to the families in the community.
“I tell the kids, ‘We’ve got to put cookies in boxes one, two, and five,’ and they help out,” he said. “When other people want to be part of this, then I need to continue the tradition.”
Dow said he was delivering the hampers early this week. With some last-minute donations coming in, he’s able to make a few more hampers for a few more families.
“I’m of the opinion that, if somebody’s reaching out, then I’m going to give it to them. It’s not my job to judge whether they need the food or not.”
