‘We love helping out the community’: Sisters raise money for Bradford food bank

Sarah and Emily Dahlgren know how to make an impact.

The sisters from Bradford are raising money for the Helping Hand Food Bank’s Christmas Hamper program through a campaign they’ve called A Bradford Christmas.

This isn’t their first time helping their local food bank. Last year, they hosted over 20 fundraisers to raise money to fill 167 Christmas hampers. 

The idea came to them after Emily received the Junior Citizen of the Year award in 2019, and they wanted to give back to the community. With Sarah winning the same award in 2020, it gave them another reason to help fundraise.

“We wanted to give back,” Sarah said.

The first year of A Bradford Christmas was so successful that they were asked to fundraise this year too, but they knew they would have to take a different approach considering the COVID-19 pandemic.

So far, the Dahlgrens have raised $14,000 of their $50,000 goal through a variety of fundraising efforts, including a silent auction, selling Christmas decor and fundraisers through several local businesses. 

“We collected over 80 donations from local businesses,” Emily said. “All the events have done well so far.”

Sarah, 17, volunteers around Bradford while Emily, 15, runs a small business.

“I love (volunteering). I work with little kids, worked at the library, dance, baseball, hockey,” Sarah said. “I’ve always loved helping out.”

Sarah said they’ve always been motivated to help out in Bradford. 

“Our first ever food bank contribution was when we were seven and nine,” Sarah said. 

The girls helped organize fundraisers to try and help the food bank stay open that time and raised $700.

“We love helping out the community,” Sarah said. “It’s been fun. A Bradford Christmas has been fun. We’ve learned a lot, a lot more than people learn at our age.”

For the sisters, who’ve lived in Bradford their whole lives, it’s natural to want to take care of people in their town. 

“We’ve always felt the love of Bradford. We always felt like this is our community, they’ve always given to us,” Emily said. “When we had a hard time, Bradford was there to give us a hug, so we want to hug them back.”

Carolyn Khan, president of Helping Hand Food Bank, said the Dahlgrens are doing an “amazing job” fundraising for the food bank.

“They aren’t just asking for donations, though – it’s more than that – they’re asking community members to make a difference,” Khan said. “They are making a difference in the lives of people here in our small town who struggle with food insecurity. They are giving people something to look forward to when things are uncertain everywhere.”

Khan said Sarah and Emily are the food bank’s “Christmas angels” and she is blessed, humbled and grateful for their support.

For more information or to donate, email .

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Reporter Laura Broadley heard about Sarah and Emily Dahlgren raising money for the Helping Hand Food Bank in Bradford and wanted to find out how it started and their progress.