Cornwall Ontario — The Holiday Cheer Mission is going on this week-end and this year, the event will be bigger and better than ever.

What started 2 years ago as a small organization with the basic goal of providing a holiday gift basket to lonely people in the community as a way to cheer them up, has grown into a mission to help everybody, regardless of income, social status or employment.

“It’s for people who are not looking forward to the holidays, those with no family around, who have recently experienced the death of a loved one or whose family is away or in the military”, said Danielle MacNeil, one of the organizers. “It’s also for people who are dealing with anxiety or mental illness who have a hard time spending time with people. We are not a religious group, or affiliated with any other program or charity – we are just seven local women who wanted to make a difference in our community.”

Facebook and fundraising auctions were were largely used to collect money, which will in turn provide 13 men, 13 women and 4 couples with a holiday cheer basket this year. Each basket has a value of $100.

“We very happily exceeded our expectations, raising nearly $5,000”, continues MacNeil. Left over money was used to purchased 250 $5 Tim Horton’s cards that will be randomly be distributed to people sometime soon, as a simple act of Holiday Cheer.

To find a more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/holidaycheermission