Over $4000 has been donated to three non-profits in the Comox Valley.
Crown Isle Resort and Golf held their annual Gingerbread village and teddy basket auction in December, where all proceeds get donated to charity.
This year saw Lush Valley Food Action Society, MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre, and Care-A-Van receive over $1300 each.
The marketing representative for Crown Isle, Murray Brookshaw, says they chose them because they wanted to support smaller charities.
“They don’t necessarily get enough donations throughout the year because they aren’t as known or popular as some of the other charities,” said Brookshaw.
MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre focuses on supporting injured wildlife by rescuing, recovering, and rehabilitating them.
According to the president of MARS Wildlife Warren Warttig, this donation is especially appreciated by the centre.
“Coming out of COVID and everything, a lot of the non-profits are having a bit of a hard time,” said Warttig. “We are down well over 10 percent in donations.”
He says the money could help some ongoing initiatives, including upgrading the building for the raccoon complex.
Lush Valley Food Action Society focuses on supporting food security in the Valley through multiple programs.
For Executive Director of Lush Valley Maurita Prato, the money will be used to support areas that are needed the most.
“We now own a building so snow removal is something that we had to pay for recently, and it’s something tough to ask a funder for,” said Prato.
“These unrestricted funds will go where it’s needed the most and right now, we are seeing that grant funding for programming is harder to come by.”
Prato adds that with community needs continuing to increase, they hope to continue using their services to help those in need.
