THE 2BS Lions Christmas Miracle Appeal spread joy to Bathurst Base Hospital patients on Friday, just in time for Christmas.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A staple in the community, the Christmas Miracle Appeal is an annual fundraiser that results in the creation of more than one thousand hampers, which are then distributed throughout the community.
There were 1200 hampers distributed last weekend, which was followed by more than 80 specialty hampers on Friday for patients at the hospital.
Bathurst’s deputy mayor, Bobby Bourke, has long been party of the Christmas Miracle Appeal and was at the hospital on Friday to deliver the hampers.
He said they contained a range of fruit, including pears, cherries, apples and bananas.
“It’s all supplied by Bourke’s Wholesale, who have given us the fruit and done a great job of decorating the hampers,” he said.
Joined by the Christmas Miracle Appeal coordinator, Noela Sikora, and several 2BS presenters, Cr Bourke said the tradition of giving had become a big part of Christmas in Bathurst.
People were always appreciative of the gift.
“This is letting [the patients] know that the community does care about people who aren’t well in hospital,” Cr Bourke said.
Ms Sikora said she had been involved with the community fundraiser for over 30 years and delivering hampers was “just part of our lives”.
READ ALSO: She’s the heart and soul
Further proving the need for this program, more people have been adding their names to the list to receive hampers.
While the hampers given to hospital patients were filled with fruit, those given to others in the community contained a few more items, including Mars chocolates, Edgell’s products, a Christmas cake, tinned ham and school products.
Mars and Edgell’s donated items for the appeal, but the remaining items were purchased at a cost of about $35,000 with money that was raised throughout the year from various activities.
