Pick up holiday treats and help feed others

By Lethbridge Herald on December 3, 2025.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald

With the holiday season around the corner, the Interfaith Food Bank is getting in the spirit and bringing opportunities to raise funds for the holiday season with a Christmas Market and treat boxes that will be ready for pick up at that time. 

Danielle McIntyre, executive director of Interfaith Food Bank, says the treat boxes are part of a fundraising campaign that is done with the help if the Food Recovery team, and will be ready for pick up during the Christmas Market on Dec. 6 From 10 am to 2 p.m. 

“They have been preparing all these special Christmas treats, they are all frozen right after they are baked, so they are fresh once thawed no matter when you choose to serve them,” says McIntyre. 

She adds that the treat boxes come in two different sizes, and they are best reserved in advance, as they are expected to sell out fast. 

“This another one of those campaigns that help us raise some money that is absolutely necessary for us to serve local families,” says McIntyre. 

She says that even though the amount raised through this campaign is not usually as substantial as their other campaigns, it is festive, and it also provides them with an opportunity to showcase their Food Recovery Program. 

“What the program does is helping us extend the life of the food products we receive. For example, if we end up with a surplus of zucchinis, they will shred it, freeze it and later on use it for muffins and loafs,” says McIntyre. 

She says one of the nice things about having a commercial kitchen on site is the ability to prepare food and send it out directly to their clients and sell it to raise funds for food that will ultimately help their clients. 

“Anything we produce commercially has to show every ingredient in it, so people can go to our website and see what it is in the treat boxes,” says McIntyre. 

The options are small box for $15 with approximately 16 pieces in them and the large box for $35 with approximately 32 pieces plus an eggnog loaf. 

“There are all kinds of treats, like butter tarts, peppermint mocha cookies, peanut butter fudge, soft molasses cookies, snickerdoodles, Christmas bark and more,” says McIntyre. 

Those interested in purchasing treat boxes are encouraged to reserve them online for pick up during the Christmas Market. 

The Christmas Market will offer an opportunity for community members to purchase baking, canning and gifts for the holiday season made by Helpful Hobbies Volunteers and other local vendors.

McIntyre explains that the Helpful Hobbies Volunteers are using their hobbies to help other people, and the program was created to prolong the time community members could volunteer with the food bank. 

“We started our Helpful Hobbies program to keep our volunteers from aging out, as things around here are very heavy, so we found that if people can do what they love and that can benefit someone else, that fits very well with what we do here,” says McIntyre. 

The market will also showcase local vendors, and McIntyre explains that they encourage clients to showcase their talents and participate as vendors. 

“We are trying to empower the people we serve, so they not only have the opportunity to show off their skills, but they are also able to gain some income, which is another way they can put food on their table,” says McIntyre.