The 性视界传媒 Hospitals Foundation is seeing a drastic drop in donations compared to this time last year.
Nicole Robson, president and CEO of 性视界传媒 Hospitals Foundation, said the decrease is likely due to the Canada Post strike and the inability to send letter mail to current and potential donors.
Robson said that the foundation typically gets about 80 per cent of its donations around this time of year.
"We have 61% fewer donors right now and that has a huge impact on what we're able to do and how we can support the hospital and all the facilities that are under us," she said. "So that is difficult and it's because most people use the mail at this time of year and people rely on that."
Robson said that while they continue to send out e-mail campaigns, they often get missed in people's inboxes, and it does not feel the same as receiving a letter in the mail.
"In the mail, we're sending that story of the person and the impact and what your support will do, and then (in emails) you often don't go into that much detail. So that's different as well."
"At this time of year, a lot of the mail that will go out reminds people to give or what the need of the moment is and that can be really impactful as well, because people wait to hear what that need is, so that sometimes can be motivation and helps people direct their gifts in a way that they want," she said.
Robson did not know the exact number of letters the Foundation was waiting to mail but said they had at least one load sitting in their office waiting to be mailed out.
"There are multiple mailings at this time of year, and I think that's the other thing people don't realize: charities weren't prepared for this. So a lot of us do have mail that's sitting at the post office waiting to reach the homes."
Mail could begin moving again in Canada as early as next week after the federal government moved Friday to end the nearly month-long work stoppage at Canada Post.
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon referred the dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, with the aim of ordering the nearly 55,000 workers back to work and extending their current contract until May 22, 2025 鈥� if the board determines a deal isn鈥檛 within reach before the end of the year.
Robson said even if Canada Post does resume service early next week, the impact of the strike will still be felt.
"When you think of the backlog that's already there and the amount of time we have left to year end because this is also about tax receipts around this time of year," Robson said. "There's a lot of different reasons that people need to make sure their donations are coming in on time, so that really can impact it, and the charitable sector has really asked the government to extend that timeline for that very reason because people depend on it being delivered in time."
Robson is so thankful for the support of the community.
"I really want this community to understand how special they are to us, to our facilities, to the healthcare workers, and how much their support truly does make a difference," she said. "I know we don't get a chance to say thank you enough, so I really hope that they understand how appreciated it is, especially by people who are receiving care."
Robson said the foundation's biggest need is raising funds and awareness for .
"We have quite a few ways that we support elders through our facilities, whether it's cognitive care or long-term care. There are some mental well-being programs and these are a really important thing for our community," she added. "Even if people can't choose to support right now, it's really important that they know that these services are here for their loved ones if they ever need them."
Donations can also be dropped off in person at the Foundations office at the north entrance of 性视界传媒 Memorial Hospital (13750 96th Avenue).
To learn more, visit .
With files from the Canadian Press
