A year-end push to raise money for priority needs at Port Moody’s Eagle Ridge Hospital is now extended by two months.
The hospital foundation had hoped to bring in $175,000 by Dec. 31, 2024, but because of the Canada Post strike, most of its letters to ask for cash didn’t get mailed out before the end of the year.
As a result, it is currently about $75,000 short of its campaign target.
Still, the federal government’s announcement this week to bump the deadline for 2024 tax-deductible donations to Feb. 28, 2025, is giving charities — like the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation (ERHF) — some financial relief.
“Charities are at the heart of communities across Canada, lending a helping hand to those in need,” said Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister of finance and intergovernmental affairs, in a news release on Dec. 30, 2024.
“This extension recognizes the impact that the Canada Post service disruption had on their fundraising campaigns, and will give charities additional time to receive and process donations so that they can continue their vital work.”
The department said the postal strike affected about 86,000 registered charities in Canada that work to alleviate poverty, advance education and religion, and benefit the community.
According to CanadaHelps’ Giving Report, published in April 2024, charitable donations have dropped from 21.9 per cent of Canadians in 2013 to a record low of 17.7 per cent in 2021.
The country’s largest platform for donating and fundraising online, CanadaHelps attributed the contribution drop to the “shrinking social networks and a sense of disconnection and isolation among Canadians, which has caused Canadians to have a difficult time seeing how they can effect change,” said Duke Chang, president and CEO of CanadaHelps, in a news release.
For the ERHF team, it is now scrambling to catch up and getting the message out that it’s not too late for a 2024 tax receipt.
“Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation has committed over $1.1 million this year for crucial capital equipment to help the hospital meet rising demand, including the purchase of a defibrillator for elderly acute care and other high-priority medical equipment,” said ERHF executive director Kristina Chung, in a news release.
“Despite the conclusion of the postal strike, the foundation remains at just 60 per cent of its $175,000 goal for the year-end campaign. We’re calling on the community to rally around Eagle Ridge Hospital. Together, we can make sure that the hospital remains equipped to care for our growing population. Your donation can make all the difference.”
Here’s how to make a donation to the ERHF:
- online: erhf.ca/givetoday
- email: [email protected]
- phone: 604-469-3128
- mail: 475 Guildford Way, Port Moody
- in-person: 475 Guildford Way, Port Moody, V3H 3W9 (from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
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