A helping hand this holiday season

The Saint-Laurent Christmas basket campaign is underway. This is the time to show your generosity to those less fortunate by donating non-perishable food items. Containers are available at the Centre des Loisirs of Saint-Laurent, city hall, the CSSS de Bordeaux-Cartierville-Saint-Laurent and the Saint-Laurent YMCA. There are also containers placed in other locations in the community, such as schools, seniors' residences and community organizations. Additional containers may be placed in other locations upon request.

The collection will be held until Dec. 11. Toys and cash donations are also accepted. The local Public Works department will take on the responsibility of collecting all food and toy donations.

For more information, please contact Maria-Elena Antunez (ext. 4864) or Lise Lacombe (ext. 4888) at the Centre des Loisirs at 514 855-6110. You can also contact Diane Deguire at the Centre d'Action Bénévole et Communautaire Saint-Laurent at 514 744-5511.

The registration period for all those wishing to receive a Christmas basket is also underway. To be eligible for a basket, recipients must be Saint-Laurent residents and make an appointment to have their request evaluated. Appointments may be made by calling 514 855-6110, ext. 4906, from Monday to Thursday between 9 am and 11:30 am and between 1:30 pm and 4 pm. All requests must be submitted no later than 4 pm on Nov. 22 so that these may be processed in time. In addition, only one request may be made per family.

The local Christmas Basket campaign is made possible by the efforts of a volunteer committee, whose members include representatives from the borough as well as the COSSL. In 2005, the committee was able to offer assistance to 1687 people, including