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You don’t have to travel to the North Pole to see this workshop.
The Santas Anonymous collection centre is filled to the brim with thousands of toys for families in need.
It’s a 980 CJME and Salvation Army program with one goal: To ensure that every child receives a new toy for Christmas.
Tim Fraser, lieutenant core officer with the Salvation Army Haven of Hope, said the program this year is helping 1,966 registered families and 4,381 children.
“We are here to help families with Christmas. We’re here to support them and provide them with an opportunity to provide their family with a Christmas that they truly deserve,” he said Wednesday.
Toy collection starts in November and donations are still being accepted until the final distribution day on Dec. 21.
Tim Fraser with the Salvation Army said more than 4,000 toys were collected and more donations keep coming in. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
“That is a remarkable task and we can’t do it without our partnerships like Santas Anonymous and Rawlco Radio,” Fraser said. “We are just incredibly thankful for Regina and the community and stepping up and saying, ‘Here you are. We want to give back.’ ”
He said the program makes a real difference in the community.
“We’ve heard so many stories even just in the past two days, families who say, ‘This is the first Christmas that I’ve been able to provide in many years,’ ” he explained.
“We’ve heard from children saying, ‘My parents don’t have a lot of money and we don’t get toys at Christmas.’ So it’s stories like that that keep us pushing towards doing better and pushes us to help more families. Every year, we seem to be helping more and more families and we can only do it with the help of our community.”
He urges anyone who still wants to help to get involved.
“If there are still organizations and individuals that are wanting to give back, we’re still looking for toys. We’re still needing stuffies,” Fraser said.
“They can feel free to drop it off at the Salvation Army on 13th Avenue or you can visit us at HavenofHope.ca. There is a big donate button; click on that button and everything that is donated in Regina stays in Regina. It helps programs exactly like this program with the help of Santas Anonymous.”
Boxes of stuffed animals line the walls at the Santas Anonymous toy drive collection centre. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Debbie Rodger has been volunteering with the program for 25 years.
“It is just remarkable,” she said. “It is so much fun to be with them (and) to support them and their eyes glisten as they make a choice for their child. It’s just great.”
In past years, families would select presents that would already be wrapped. Now, the toys are organized by different categories and parents are able to “shop” for their children.
Rodger spends all day with a handful of parents. She walks them through aisles of toys at the collection centre with a big red bag, just like Santa Claus.
Debbie Rodger is one of the many volunteers who help guide parents through the aisles of toys at the collection centre. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
“We take them through the shelves of the toys,” Rodger explained. “They have a little card that tells them what ages and type of area we would take them to and we help them shop and show them what’s there. Then they make the choice that they think would best fit and put a big smile on their child’s face on Christmas morning.”
She keeps coming back year after year because of the impact the program has on families.
“I think it makes a lot of difference. It takes the stress away for them,” Rodger said.
“They’re just so excited to be able to come and get something for their child so they know their child will have something under the tree on Christmas morning. It just puts you in the Christmas spirit.”