Sue Stultz’s turkey campaign has just faced its most challenging year since its inception in 1991.
As it is a long-standing Christmas tradition in Moncton, they have never had a problem collecting the required amount of turkeys until now.
Although they were able to collect 3,322 turkeys, 10 more than their goal of 3,312, by the end of the day on Tuesday, they were 1,000 turkeys short of the planned end of their campaign on Friday.
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Organizer Sue Stultz believes inflation is partly to blame for this year’s challenges.
“The price of turkeys has gone up, in fact, in most cases it has doubled. So the family that brought four can only afford to bring two this year, ”he said.
Moncton resident Dee Fraser donates to the cause every year. She says it was not easy to find a turkey.
“We had looked at a couple of different places. The one we bought is a stuffed turkey, but I’m sure it will help a family in need, ”said Fraser.
Donations in decline
A study published by the Fraser Institute on Tuesday indicated that the rate of charitable giving in Atlantic Canada is well below the national average that is already in decline.
The study based its findings on information on charitable tax revenue provided by the Revenue Agency of Canada.
“We found nationally that the percentage of contributors who donate in Canada has actually reached a 20-year low,” said Jake Fuss, senior economist at the institute.
He explained that the study is based on the most recent data available, which is from 2019. That is before the economic impacts of the pandemic, such as supply chain problems and the housing crisis, took effect.
He expects we will see much steeper drops in the 2020 and 2021 data.
“We expect charitable giving to decline even further across the country as families are most in need of resources and facing financial difficulties,” he said.
For Sue Stultz, these tough times just mean there’s a greater need to give.
“People are more in need now than I think we ever knew,” Stultz said.
Turkey’s campaign is a joint effort with the Moncton Fire Department.
Lonnie Gélinas, a firefighter who volunteers his time to help with the effort, said helping out was important.
“As firefighters, we can see many families in danger, and it is amazing how many families are left without it. They have to decide between turkeys and gifts for their children. “
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