Dear Editor,
[Re: Postal strike hurting hospital fundraising, Langley Advance Times, Dec. 4]
Our family donates to many charities, including monthly giving to the Langley Community Health & Hospital Foundation (LCHHF). We make these donations electronically. Whereas I understand many people in our society do not have computers and only use paper cheques, charities, like LCHHF need to adapt and pivot to remain viable.
Small businesses and charities have become the most reported reason this strike must end. Full disclosure: I have a family member who works as a postal carrier so I understand the workers' side and I strongly recommend people investigate the whole story, not just what is being reported. I also realize paper mail is less popular than ever (we get very little), bringing me back to the purpose of this letter.
Charities we donate to, even though we are consistent and generous donors, continually fill our mailbox with paper mail telling us how wonderful they are and asking us for more money. Multiple times a year we receive LCHHF newsletters and 8.5"x11" envelopes full of the wonderful things the hospital does for us and the Langleys. I know the hospital does good work; we have availed ourselves of this good work, and also know the hospital is underfunded, hence why we are monthly donors. But LCHHF and other charities, please stop using the money we and others donate to create and mail these expensive propaganda pieces!
It makes me mad that the charities to which we donate use monies they could put towards their fundraising to buy new diagnostic equipment, groceries for the food-insecure, or build structures to house the un-housed, instead choose to spend thousands of dollars on mail campaigns – especially to folks like us who are already donors!
Charities should not solely rely on Canada Post to deliver their message of need. As one Vancouver charity noted during the evening news, they recently received an email from Canada Post (take note, charities), that letter-mail delivery prices were going up in 2025, and they weren't sure they could manage this increase.
Come on, charities, learn new ways to get your message out, and collect your much-needed donations. The monolith that is Canada Post is going to change, and the charities (and small businesses) that are their biggest customers need to adapt and change, too.
Rob Hunt, Walnut Grove
