ORILLIA - As the Canada Post strike drags on, local non-profits are feeling the pinch as donation cheques and holiday letters are caught in limbo.
Postal workers have been on strike since Nov. 15, seeking improvements to working conditions and pay increases, with no clear resolution coming forward as of yet to get the 55,000 striking employees back to work.
For local non-profits, who rely heavily on donations through the holiday season, the ongoing strike is taking a toll and raising questions about finances heading into the new year.
Compared to last year, The Sharing Place said it’s currently $40,000 behind in donations since the strike began.
During the last three weeks of December in 2023, the food bank brought in $200,000 in donations through cheques, which are typically mailed in by older residents, officials said.
“In December, over 50 per cent of our donations come in, and the significant majority of those come in via cheque,” said executive director Chris Peacock. “We could be hundreds of thousands of dollars below budget if we don't start to pick up donations.”
Typically, the food bank sends out a holiday donation reminder at this time of year, but the ongoing strike has prevented those letters from making it to donors this holiday season – many of whom are older residents that typically rely on mail.
“We have also lost the ability to send out communication. When it comes to our direct mail campaign, that's a huge reminder for people,” Peacock said.
Meanwhile, demand at The Sharing Place continues to rise, with over 1,100 households – or 2,400 individuals – accessing the food bank’s services last month, placing additional pressure on its financial situation.
“Demand’s never been higher. Costs have never been higher, and donations are a question mark,” Peacock said.
If the food bank is unable to gather the donations that would typically come in, it may face issues with some of its programming, Peacock said.
“Do we pull back on supporting kids in school? Do we pull back on supporting the amount of meals we distribute through our Meals for Change program? Do we give out less food to families and individuals?” he said.
“We're not in the position that we're going to do that yet, but this is the beginning of the erosion.”
Peacock said residents can donate to The Sharing Place online through their website, donate over the phone by reaching development manager Kelly Allen at (705) 327-4273 ext. 106, drop off cheques in person at 95 Dufferin Street, or even request that someone come and pick up a cheque if need be.
“This is not just a Sharing Place story, this is a nonprofit sector story,” he said. “The individuals that support us the most are usually older adults, individuals that are retired, that may not be as comfortable with technology.”
At Salvation Army Orillia, the story is similar – demand for its food bank services is high, and questions have been raised about holiday donations with the ongoing strike.
While the non-profit raises funds through its annual kettle campaign during the holiday season, it similarly receives about $200,000 in donations through its annual letter campaign – which has not been sent out to the community amid the strike.
“Christmas time (is) our biggest time of the year for fundraising,” said Capt. Josh Howard. “(Through) our annual letter campaign, which is sent out to our area, we get about $200,000 that comes in through letters, through mail or through other donations.”
Howard said letters help community members remember they generally make a holiday donation, and he said some people stopped by and hand delivered donations this season.
“But for some people, they haven't received that letter, so we're not sure if that donation will come in or not,” he said. “This year, people have had to pivot and find a way to provide those donations. Our letters didn't even make it out this year because the strike happened just before the letters were sent.”
The Salvation Army has also yet to meet its usual donation targets, Howard said, but he hopes letters can go out when the strike comes to a close.
“We have had some donations come in, but we haven't hit that goal yet,” he said. “Our hope is that the letters will go out when they're able to. For our budgeting and fiscal year, we carry over to the first few months of the new year, so we know that ... Orillians will step up with generosity.”
The next two weeks, Howard said, are when much of the Salvation Army’s holiday donations come in.
“I think we're on track, maybe a little bit behind, but over the course of these next couple weeks leading up to Christmas is when a big surge of donations come in,” he said. “With the letters not having gone out, that reminder is what people need.”
At the Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Foundation, holiday letters have been sent out to donors, but they are currently caught in limbo with the strike carrying on.
“For some of our donors who rely on mail to make their contributions, the postal strike has impacted that ability,” said Joanna Gray, director of campaigns and major gifts. “It has also impacted the way we can acknowledge some of these donations, including by mailing tax receipts, or sending In memoriam cards to families.”
This year, Gray said the foundation chose to send its letter via email.
“Our annual holiday letter has been mailed, but will not reach homes until the postal strike is over,” she said. “As it was an impactful story of a brave young patient, we chose to share it by email, and we have been looking for other creative ways to share our information.”
While Gray said the foundation will not know the strike’s full impacts until the holidays come to a close, she did note an increase in online donations in recent weeks.
“We have seen an increase in online donations received during the postal strike and we are truly humbled and filled with gratitude for the generosity of our communities and their willingness to find alternative ways to provide their support,” she said.
In the meantime, she encouraged residents to donate online, call the Foundation directly, go in person, or arrange a pick-up for donations.
“Please call the office to discuss what is the best way to make your personal donation,” she said. “Donations to the OSMH Foundation can be made on our website at osmhfoundation.ca/donate, by calling our office at (705) 325-6464, or in person at 146 Mississaga St. W.”