People come year after year for the Salvation Army's Christmas hampers. The bags, heavy with goods, burst before people reach their rides. This year, gratitude was the common denominator in the expressions of those who lined up on Tuesday morning at the Henry Street, Port of Spain, centre for their hampers.
The hampers included staples, like flour, rice, sugar and salt, cereals, canned goods and a large bottle of soda.
Major Chris Matthias, who was recently appointed to the helm of the society, said 1,500 hampers would be delivered during the Christmas period. He said besides Henry Street, donation drives would be held on Charlotte Street, in Tunapuna, Sangre Grande, San Fernando and Tobago.
[caption id="attachment_991616" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Coosal's Group of Companies CEO Sieunarine Coosal, second from left, helps distribute hampers during the Salvation Army annual Christmas food hamper distribution at the Salvation Army Headquarters, Henry Street, Port of Spain, last Tuesday. - AYANNA KINSALE[/caption]
Matthias said the hampers were worth, on average, $250 each. He said 320 were distributed on Tuesday, but by the end of the week, he expects that 530 would be gifted.
Matthias said donations from the public at the Salvation Army's famous red kettles provide 40 per cent of funding for the drive while corporate donors contribute the remaining 60 per cent.
Asked how people become aware of the Salvation Army's drives, he said, "Interestingly enough, persons know Salvation Army does Christmas distributions each year. They position themselves to be there. Sometimes, from October, persons are calling the office to find out if we've begun registration as yet.
"We don't begin registration until November, or so."
He said the Salvation Army focuses on shut-ins, people with many children and single parents so it tries to reach out to them.
Asked if Salvation Army found the most vulnerable in society, Matthias said, "We try to do that, but we would not kid ourselves that we are perhaps reaching 100 per cent of them. We want to believe we're reaching quite a bit of them. That's the aim."
The widow of former president Noor Hassanali, Zalayhar Hassanali, was also present.
[caption id="attachment_991618" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Zalayhar Hassanali speaks during the Salvation Army annual Christmas food hamper distribution at the Salvation Army Headquarters, Henry Street, Port of Spain, last Tuesday. - AYANNA KINSALE[/caption]
She said, "So long I've been here, I can't even remember how long.
"I come out every Christmas. I got to know a lot of them. A lot of them come year after year so we see them all the time. Some of them call me by my name.
"You see the need. You see the line and you see the need. People really need a lot of help. So the Salvation Army comes to their rescue and helps them every year, which is such a wonderful thing."
Hassanali said she does 101 things a year.
"We're dealing with floods, we're dealing with fire, we're dealing with landslides and I'm with United
