Christmas Bureau 2024: Online grocery voucher deadline approaching for some
As the temperatures turn frosty and the tree leaves get colorful, attention must soon turn to the upcoming holidays.
With Christmas cheer in mind, single adults or couples without children under 18 in the home can apply online before Nov. 1 to receive a grocery store voucher from the Christmas Bureau. The bureau, a collaboration between Catholic Charities, Volunteers of America and The Spokesman-Review, collects donations every year to provide grocery vouchers to families in need and a toy and book for each child.
Last year, the Christmas Bureau provided assistance to 25,920 people, including 13,123 children. Of the 7,942 households served, the number of households without children was 3,089. More than $237,000 in grocery store vouchers were distributed among all families.
People can visit www.christmasspokane.org to apply for a $30 voucher. Once an application is made, people will get a confirmation email to double check the address on file before the vouchers are mailed at the beginning of December.
Christmas Bureau Coordinator Heidi Meany said this year, even more than usual, people are including thank you messages along with their address confirmation.
“It’s been even more this year, people saying ‘I’m really struggling, thank you so much,’ ” she said.
The Christmas Bureau has been doing early online signups for households without children for several years, and the process is generally smooth and quick, Meany said.
“We’re faster at processing them now,” she said. “We have the hang of it more.”
The online applications are limited to certain counties in Washington and North Idaho. People must live in either Adams, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Spokane or Whitman counties in Washington, or Benewah, Bonner, Kootenai, Latah and Shoshone counties in Idaho.
People with no children in the home who live in other counties are welcome to visit the Christmas Bureau in person in December when no residency restrictions apply, Meany said.
“Anyone who presents in person at the Christmas Bureau, we will serve them,” she said.
People who miss the online application deadline can also visit the bureau in person to receive their voucher. This year, the Christmas Bureau will be open Dec. 12-19 at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, 404 N. Havana, except for Dec. 15. The hours will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 12-14 and Dec. 19, and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 16-18.
Those who complete the online application before Nov. 1 will receive the grocery store voucher in early December. The voucher itself is only valid Dec. 1-31, which is why they aren’t mailed earlier, Meany said.
“It’s not valid until December, and we don’t want people confused,” she said.
Donations to fund the Christmas Bureau will be accepted beginning at Thanksgiving and will continue to be collected through Christmas, with progress reported in stories in The Spokesman-Review six days a week.
Donations can be made online at www.christmasspokane.org or by mail to The Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund, PO Box 516, Spokane WA 99210.