In what’s become an annual tradition, the Delta Scottsdale Lions are once again offering North Deltans the opportunity to rid themselves of their Christmas trees while contributing to a good cause.
The club’s annual Christmas tree chip, their biggest fundraiser of the year, will take place on Saturday, Jan. 7 and Sunday, Jan. 8 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Sungod Arena parking lot. Volunteers from 819 “Skyhawk” Royal Canadian Air Cadet squadron will be on hand to help unload trees from vehicles.
The tree chip, which is done by donation, is a yearly tradition that began over 25 years ago as tree burning. The chip is a big event for the Lions, who use the funds to give back to the community in a myriad of ways, said club member Sue Joys.
“It’s quite a major fundraiser for us, it’s actually our largest fundraiser of the year.”
The club uses the money raised by the event to fund two of Crossroads United Church’s monthly community dinners, support Deltassist’s food hamper program and emergency food cupboard, and donate to Timmy’s Christmas Telethon and the Easter Seal House.
“We just provided stuffed animals and we delivered several cases of stuffed animals to Easter Seal House for the children and their families that come and stay there,” Joys said.
This year, the club sponsored two low-income North Delta elementary school students through the Starfish Pack program, providing them with food to last the weekend throughout the entire school year, and on Christmas Eve about 700 families in Delta will receive food hampers through Deltassist, thanks in part to donations from the Delta Scottsdale Lions Club.
Joys said the club’s biggest challenge is attracting new members, adding time commitments for volunteering are flexible so anyone interested in joining need not worry about not having enough free time.
“We’ve gotten smaller because people have moved away,” she said. “We are always looking for new members who want to serve the community.”
To join the club or to volunteer for any of its upcoming events, contact club secretary Robert Nanson at 778-545-0140. For more information on the Delta Scottsdale Lions, visit e-clubhouse.org/sites/delta_scottsdale.