Despite not reaching their $375,000 fundraising goal, the Windsor Goodfellows are still calling this year's paper drive a success.
Speaking on AM800's Mornings with Mike and Meg, Windsor Goodfellows President Brian Beaumont says more than $366,000 was raised during last week's fundraiser.
He says for three days volunteers collected monetary donations at different street corners in Windsor, LaSalle and Tecumseh.
Beaumont says the community always comes through for the Windsor Goodfellows.
"This money that we collected on the street corners is very very important to us this year," says Beaumont.
He says the money raised accounts to 40 per cent of the Windsor Goodfellows annual budget.
"That will go along way keeping all of our programs going," he says. "Unfortunately because of the mail strike we have a mail-in campaign also that usually coincides with our paper drive and because of the mail strike we haven't been able to get any of those mail-ins."
Beaumont says the Windsor community is so generous but there was a bit of a drop off this year.
"It's not just the working poor or the less fortunate that are experiencing those difficulties, everybody's got to tighten their belts and with the rising costs of food and housing, utilities and everything, there's just not as much money to go around," says Beaumont.
It was the 110th paper drive for the Windsor Goodfellows.
Money raised supports local Goodfellows' programs.
Some programs include Christmas Food Boxes, the food bank, the breakfast program, lunch bag program and boot and shoe program.