Dear Sir,

Once again we are asking for permission to use your newspaper for this note of gratitude and heartfelt thanks to our Bermudian community for their continued support of Share the Christmas Spirit for 36 years.

We, the committee of Share the Christmas Spirit, would like to inform the Bermudian community of how much we appreciate them and extend a heartfelt thanks for the continued support Bermuda has shown by placing non-perishable goods in the decorative bins at all MarketPlace stores. This past Christmas, we supplied 603 food hampers.

As the chair of Share the Christmas Spirit project, I am expressing my thanks to MarketPlace stores president Seth Stutzman, MarketPlace administrators Ladricka Simmons and Natalie Rego, and a special thank-you to Joseph Cheeseman for his continued support and compassion for this worthwhile project. He works extremely hard when called upon to collect the goods from all MarketPlace Stores. Thank you also to all schools and businesses who make food donations.

Thank you to Denise Carey, of Home, for allowing us a part of a building to pack the food hampers — and kudos to her staff who assisted us.

A special thanks to all the MarketPlace stores, including Price Rite and Harrington Hundreds, for our recent Share the Christmas Spirit Tag Day, which was held November 30, 2024.

A very special thanks to our donors, Wakefern Food Corporation, MarketPlace Stores, BGA, Butterfield & Vallis, Everen Group and Lionel Raynor. We are most grateful to Bermuda Government preschools, primary schools, middle schools, CedarBridge Academy and the Bermuda High School for Girls for their continued contribution to this programme.

Thanks to the following members of Lions Clubs of Bermuda for their unwavering support in packing the food — zone chair Delma Parfitt, past district governor Stephen Dean, Jean Stovell, Joanne Talbot-Johnston, Marlene Christopher, and family and friends for volunteering their time to help with packing and distributing the food hampers. Finally, Raymond Simmons and Sandi Williams.

We realise that many Bermudian families are still struggling and find it difficult to make ends meet. Our hope is that we were able to alleviate these concerns in some way during this past Christmas season.

May God continue to bless each and every one of you in 2025.

DESSALINE WALDRON

Share the Christmas Spirit chair

Lions Clubs of Bermuda