L-R: Mercedes Messinger - Messinger Meats, Gloria Beck - Parkland Garden Centre, Jamie Worthington - BIG 105, and Dawna Morey - The Lending Cupboard. (Supplied)

By Alessia Proietti and Sheldon Spackman

Prizes drawn on Jan. 5

The Lending Cupboard raises nearly $8,000 with Cash Calendar fundraiser

Jan 6, 2022 | 9:19 AM

If you purchased a Cash Calendar for The Lending Cupboard’s (TLC) recent fundraiser, then you may have gotten a cash related call sometime yesterday.

The fundraiser’s second year in a row, Cash Calendars were sold for $20 each between November and December 2021 for a chance to win among 31 prizes, one for each day in the month of December.

“We waited until today to do the draws for the prizes because a lot of people were using them as stocking stuffers at Christmas time. So some of our winners today will be surprised that they actually won,” said TLC’s Executive Director Dawna Morey.

Since 2006, the Red Deer based charity has been lending medical equipment at no cost for clients of all ages. Items include wheelchairs, walkers, air casts, and more, for extreme sports injuries, recovering surgeries and illness and end of life care.

Prizes this year included gift cards and cash certificates from around 20 different sponsors ranging from restaurants, garden centres, car dealerships, and more, totaling $4,600.

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And it seems to have been a success, according to Morey.

“We were just shy of $8,000 raised through the Cash Calendar this year and of course all the prizes were sponsored so there was no cost to us at all and the tickets were all printed for us at no cost,” she said.

Just one of their fundraising events held throughout the year, the proceeds will be going towards supporting TLC’s operational costs in serving the needs of the central Alberta region.

A large source of funds came from TLC’s annual winter and women’s luncheons, which are being cancelled for the second year in a row due to the pandemic.

According to Morey, the annual budget for TLC is approximately $500,000 and their costs naturally keep increasing with each year.

“We certainly continue to see an increase in the need for the services. We’re seeing people of all ages come in needing support from a very young child that needs a specialized walker to the 90-year-old plus who is trying to age in place in their home and need some daily living aids in order to do that,” said Morey.

As of 2020, TLC has served almost 10,000 clients with their inventory of over 15,000 pieces of equipment.

Morey also notes building awareness about how the charity can help people is critical as well.

“The money that was raised through this helps us to continue to get that message out,” she said. “It’s really about teamwork – it’s not just one individual that makes it happen,” she explained of the charity’s work in collaboration with local businesses and community members as well.

With the holiday season coming to a close, Morey had one last gift to give, and that was a message of praise.

“I think it’s important for us to really thank not just the sponsors but the people that bought the tickets because we know that times are a little tougher right now with the cost of living increasing and the economy down a little bit,” she said.

“We want to be a legacy in this community for years to come and that will only happen with the continued support of our community. We feel very blessed.”