'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the town,
People were cheerful - except those who were down.
The stockings were hung in some homes, but not all
While the bureau folks waited, inside the mall.
With just a few days left until Christmas, the pressure is on at the Burnaby Christmas Bureau to reach its financial goal of $190,000 and provide food and toys for thousands of children and their families.
Throughout November and December, the local organization has run a variety of campaigns to help with fundraising but, as of last Friday, the bureau was still $60,000 short of its fundraising goal.
That could put the bureau, and its parent organization Burnaby Community Connections, in a dire financial position.
"This is not where we would hope to be so close to Christmas," Stephen D'Souza told the NOW last week.
The bureau is already in a financially precarious position thanks to an increase in clients and a levelling off of donations. Last year, to meet the needs of the Christmas campaign, the bureau was forced to dig into its reserves.
A $100,000 reserve had been built up over about 10 years - last year, the organization had to use nearly $50,000 of that.
If the organization can't reach this year's goal, they'll have to dip back in - and potentially use up the rest of the reserve.
"It won't be good," said D'Souza, when asked about the long-term impact. "It will dramatically change the way we operate."
D'Souza says they want the bureau to be a fun and joyful part of city residents' holiday traditions by making participation in one of the programs or special events something to look forward to.
"We want everyone to celebrate and have fun and really get into that spirit," he said.
Anyone who wants to make a financial donation can do so online at www.burnaby communityconnections.com, by phone at 604-299-5778 or in person at their temporary Metropolis at Metrotown location (open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekend.)
For more stories from our ongoing bureau campaign coverage, go to www. burnabynow.com and search "bureau" in the search feature.
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