The Gift – Come Together CK

Gift Dance Tutorials

Interested In Volunteering?

*Routes have now been assigned across Chatham Kent for donation pickup, please let us know in the comments section if you would like to be a backup pickup team!*

We invite you to join The Gift CK however you would like to be involved, as much or as little as it is all your choice. Volunteers welcomed as equals at any role/level. Individual communities & neighbourhoods make the plans and decisions for their area.

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Phone Number *

Street Address *

City/Town *

Numbe of Volunteers (including yourself) *

Area Selected To Volunteer In

Volunteer Selections *

Depot Captain (help with distrubtion at a depot site after November 19th)
Sorting/Packing
Creating Signs (Paint/Print/etc.)
Marketing/Social Media (Influencers, posting, sharing, engagement, etc.)
Making Calls to Volunteers/Recruiting
Distribution/Delivery of Gifts
I'll Do Anyhting
Other: Please put other in the message section

Comments

Anything and everything you would like to share or for Captains/Volunteers to know.

Drop Off Locations

Town	Depot location
Blenheim	Glad Tidings Church
Bothwell	Bothwell Fire Hall
Cedar Springs
Charing Cross
Chatham	Holy Trinity church
Chatham Dropoff locations	Light house Dental, Marcos food, walmart
Chatham	sears
Dealtown	will be taken to Kinsmen Hall – Erie Street North Merlin
Dresden	Old Dresden Casino
Erieau	Word of Life Church, Blenheim
Highgate, Duart, Muirkirk	Grave diggerz
Merlin/South Buxton	Kinsmen Hall – Erie Street North Merlin
Mitchell’s Bay	Mitchell’s Bay Marina (3 allen road)
North Buxton	North Buxton Community Park
North Harwich	Rushes and mckays corner
Ridgetown/Morpeth	Ridgetown Scout Hut
Rondeau	Bayview market drop off location then taking to ridgetown
Thamesville	Sertoma Hall
Tilbury	Ashley’s Place
Wallaceburg	St Vincent de Paul and the clubhouse

Important Dates:

Present – Nov 18: find everyone that wants to volunteer and participate and begin finding all those in need in our community to benefit from this food and gift drive.

NOV 19 – COMMUNITY COLLECTION DAY put any gift that you feel called to on your front step before 12 noon and someone from our collection crew will pick it up to help get it into the hands of someone who needs it.

Nov 20 – Dec 25 – Get the gifts in the right hands. The collection belongs to all of us, who do you know that will only accept it from you?
The Gift is the community and is run by the community, there is no hierarchy or selection process, therefore everyone selects their own roles. Create your own role or select from below:

Community Captain – Organize and facilitate the volunteers in your community with other captains. It’s a team, even if you just have one skill to bring to them. Each area has full discretion over all decisions. It’s up to your community to decide what it does with the collection . 

Volunteer – Pick up November 19, spread the word, make a TikTok challenge, help sort the collection, paint signs, do The Gift dance etc. anything your heart calls you – this is your role, you do it your way, no permission needed!

Donate – Put any gift on your front porch on Nov 19. Non-perishable food item, toys, books, socks, sudoku for a senior, gift card for a haircut voucher to support local businesses, coupon for a free snow shoveling etc.

Spread the word – Let your friends, family, coworkers, neighbours know the Gift is happening. Remind them to leave a gift on the porch on November 19th. Share on social media. Follow The Gift on social media accounts. Tell the world about how excited you are for November 19th!

Receive – If you need it and would like to benefit from the Gift, get in touch with us and we will ensure you don’t miss out.

Distribute – The many amazing organizations within CK simply can’t find everyone; how can the community fill in the gaps? Do you know someone in your circle that will only trust you to help them in receiving gifts, who do you see that needs help, do you know a way that you can help, let us know and we will do what we can to help you help others? If you know of someone who could use help but you aren’t sure how to help them, let us help you with the Gift sensitivity specialists to reach out to them. Together we will figure out a way.

FAQ’s

Who Does The Gift Benefit?

The Gift aims to benefit as many people in Chatham-Kent as possible, giving and receiving as holistically as possible. The goal is to get the Gifts into the intended hands by any means necessary. For the physical gifts, community-based organizations, neighbours finding neighbours and just going and getting from The Gift depots for you or others is one way the gifts are distributed. If a group or individual needs certain products to help achieve their mission, The Gift will support them in any way possible. The Gift aims at facilitating connection and collaboration, so no one is left behind. All citizens own The Gift equally, it is what we make it. Trusting everyone and their intentions is a major pillar.

The following are just a few of the groups who were recipients of The Gift last two years:

Bothwell Toy & Hamper Program
Chatham-Kent Children’s Services
Chatham-Kent Citizens
Community Living
Family Service Kent
FreeHelp CK
Goodfellows (Chatham)
Goodfellows (Tilbury)
Holy Redeemer Parish
Hope Haven
Jenna’s Chatham-Kent Christmas Toy Drive
Merlin Community Assistance Group
Ministerial Association (Blenheim)
Outreach for Hunger
ROCK Missions
Salvation Army (Blenheim)
Salvation Army (Chatham)
Salvation Army (Ridgetown)
Salvation Army (Wallaceburg)
St. Vincent De Paul, Dresden Legion
Thamesville Sertoma
Ursula Church
W.I.S.H. Centre

And countless more!
What is the Gift?
What is the Gift Timeline?

Now until November 18th: Find every single person that wants to contribute. Find, think and listen to all the needs in our community. Gift thinking, Gift shopping/creating.
November 19th: Community Collection Day, put what you feel called to give on your front porch.
November 19th until the end of the holiday season: Entire community invited to get gifts in intended hands. Who do you know that only you can reach? Do you know what could lift them up?
January 1st: We continue this growth towards living this way of coming together, of being together.
What day is the Community collecting?
Who organized the Gift?

Citizens of Chatham-Kent united for this initiative in 2020 in response to the devastation COVID-19 Pandemic caused in our community. It belongs to everyone and therefore aims to have no hierarchy. An estimated $3 000 000 dollars worth of Gifts were collected and many seasoned hamper programs estimated more people were reached and helped than ever. All during our most difficult year. Citizens organize and choose how far The Gift goes this year and for years to come.
This sounds similar to The May 16th Miracle. Is it?

Yes. On May 16, 2020, the largest food drive in history took place in Chatham-Kent thanks to the incredible support of the entire community. A total of 678,200 pounds of food was collected! The one-day event provided much-needed items for the various food banks while bringing members of the community together with one common goal and purpose. This event is similar but with gifts of all types being collected. This is inspired the movement of The Gift that this community created and continues to the momentum.
How is The Gift different than previous years?

Many feel we have the opportunity to go farther and reach more people. After everything we have learned, how can we come together even more?

We realize the potential so many have when unleashed and how good it feels when they/we do. Many people “in need” actually have so much to give and the best gift they can get is the ability to let their gifts shine.
Many believe that we can hear even more of the voices for the needs in Chatham-Kent so that we can make our gifts go even further than we put out. What could lift the lonely senior? A personal gift certificate for a driveway shoveling for someone that just had surgery? The opportunity for a young boy to shop for his siblings?

We also have learned that this is a movement about being and coming together. So how can we make it even more of a celebration throughout but especially on Nov 19th?
How Can I Participate?
Any way! From helping plan the whole event to liking one social media post, everyone is trusted to select their role. Everyone’s’ contributions are equal. We work together to help each other choose which role suit us.
- Become a Community Captain – facilitate volunteers in your community with other community captains
- Become a Depot Captain – help with distribution of the gifts after collection day
- Volunteer with collecting items on November 19th
- Volunteer with sorting following November 19th
- Spread the message to family, friends and neighbours through sharing social posts, talking about it at family/friend gatherings
- Leave a gift on your porch on November 19th
- Donate a gift to the depots
- Volunteer for one of the many organizations reaching out to help as many people in our community as possible during the holiday season
- Anything you can think of to make this holiday season more special for everyone. It belongs to you as much as anyone, use the logo, the collective energy or fellow volunteers to do anything you feel called. It’s yours, so no permission is necessary!
- Others are here to support you if you need advice or help, let your heart guide you, just do it!