Vermilion Lions Club presses on before Christmas

The annual Santa Anonymous program has been running for about 40 years in Vermilion, and the Lions Club has been working hard to collect donations to make it continue this year.

With registration now complete, gift certificates will be mailed to families by December 7.

“We will use money on hand to pay in excess of what we are given for contributions,” said Lions member Barry Clampitt.

“Because we are paying out of pocket, our donation boxes will remain out until closer to Christmas.

Normally food and gift parcels wouldn’t be delivered until the Saturday before Christmas. Clampitt said the earlier start should allow time before Christmas for recipients to do their shopping.

The Vermilion Lions Club also helps people prep for winter with their sand bag program. They usually partner with Vermilion Ready Mix and local sports teams or youth organizations to fill the bags. This year with COVID members volunteered to fill the bags themselves.

“Just prior to the first big snow we got 200 bags to Co-op and they went within weeks,” said Clampitt.

“Now it slows down a bit so we took them 75 more. The sand bags support us in a good way, and different groups can benefit from the proceeds.”

The Lions Club usually makes approximately $1,500 per year on their sand bags and donates the funds locally. If you are looking to gain more traction on the winter roads and want to pick up a Lions sand bag, you can visit the Cornerstone Co-op Gas Bar, Shell, or Fas Gas in Vermilion.