Season of giving: Supporting the community during the holidays

There’s nothing like the first snowfall to make the Christmas holidays seem closer.

But for some the holidays bring more worry than excitement, as many in Halifax and beyond struggle to provide for their families. That's why the university community is participating in several events to help make the holidays a little brighter for those who need it.

Adopt-a-Family

On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Dalhousie Food Services will be hosting its 10th annual holiday luncheon and silent auction where all proceeds will go to four local charities: Out of the Cold emergency winter shelter, Hope Cottage soup kitchen, Bryony House shelter for abused women and their children, and Feed Nova Scotia’s Adopt-a-Family. Dalhousie will ‘adopt’ four local families and support them by purchasing and donating items on their Christmas wish list like grocery gift cards, toys, clothing, etc. The gifts are delivered to the warehouse where it then gets sorted by family and distributed.

The event was sold out within two days at $25 a ticket – a testament to the generosity of those in the community says organizer Staci Farrant, registered dietitian and manager of wellness and sustainability for Dalhousie Food Services.  

"This is my first year here helping organize [the event],” she says. “For me, Feed Nova Scotia holds a special place in my heart. I’m thrilled to see that the Food services team puts on this event to raise money for Feed Nova Scotia and the families!"

Although the event is sold out, donations can still be made. Contact Staci Farrant for more details.

Dalplex food drive

Imagine collecting enough food to fill a bus – how many families would that feed?

Since 2005, Dalplex has been taking part in the Stuff-A-Bus food drive which sees individuals, schools, daycares, and local businesses collecting food donations leading up to the busy holiday season.

Last year, with help from many generous Dal students, faculty, staff and community members, Dalplex collected 979 lbs of food for the C100 FM and Metro Transit’s 21st annual Stuff-A-Bus food drive for Feed Nova Scotia and they hope to collect even more this year.

The Stuff-A-Bus will pick up the donated items from Dalplex Friday morning, Dec. 2 which means there’s still time to drop off any non-perishable food items, like cans of soup or granola bars, at the customer service desk. Contact Dalplex's Marketing Manager Amanda Lindsay with any questions.


Varsity takes part in Operation Christmas Child

For the second year, Dalhousie varsity athletes have been collecting donations for Operation Christmas Child, the yearly fundraiser that gathers shoeboxes filled with hygiene products, school supplies, toys, candy and books, and delivered to children in the developing world.

Rebecca Haworth, a second-year science student and Maddie Boudreau, a third-year recreation management student, are this year’s organizers and say Operation Christmas Child is a great opportunity for athletes to give back during the holidays.

“It’s important to the Tiger community that people around the world experience the love and joy of the season, regardless of circumstances,” says Ms. Boudreau.  “With all teams participating this year, we’re excited to collect far more than the 27 boxes that came in last year.”

Their collected donations will be dropped off at the local Samaritans Purse warehouse over the weekend. 


Operation Christmas Child was created by Dave Cooke in 1990. He was inspired to take action and deliver gifts to developing countries after watching the harsh living conditions of Romanian orphans on television. In 1993, Operation Christmas Child was adopted by Samaritans Purse and to date over 86 million shoe boxes have been delivered around the world.