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Vehicles began filling the Regina Food Bank parking lot at 7:20 a.m. Saturday — 40 minutes before the doors were set to open for 980 CJME’s 50th annual Santas Anonymous Wrap Day.
By 8 a.m., dozens of volunteers had already claimed their wrapping stations, including Debbie Rodger, who has helped out for decades.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Rodger said, noting she came early to snag her special spot under the food bank’s main staircase, which boasts ample elbow room for her and her grandchildren.
Having watched Wrap Day evolve and grow over her 20-plus years of volunteering, Rodger had tears in her eyes as she evaluated the room to see the turnout had nearly tripled to 300 people.
“It’s just so heartwarming to see everybody gather together. The other heartwarming piece is all the great toys that people donate; not everybody can come down here to Wrap Day but everybody took a few minutes of their shopping time to donate a wonderful toy and put it in the (donation) barrel,” she said in between sniffles.
The top floor busy too, as we wrap for the 50th Santas Anonymous at the Regina Foodbank. #CJMESantasAnonymous#givingback#yqr pic.twitter.com/xycENeaV5d
— Andrew Dawson (@DawsonNewsNet) December 14, 2019
Across the building, Myah Wahoski was embracing her very first Wrap Day with her sister, cousin and aunt.
“I think it’s really nice to be able to do all this to help other families,” the 10-year-old said.
Wahoski added her favourite part was selecting toys for each kid and imagining what they’d like.
“I don’t really get to pick out gifts because my mom and dad usually do, so it’s fun to pick out gifts,” she explained.
When it comes to wrapping the toys up, Wahoski noted “the secret” is to wrap each present as a team — and to stick to boxed toys and games, instead of the toboggans or stuffed animals.
There are a lot of volunteers down here. #CJMESantasAnonymous #WrapDay #yqr pic.twitter.com/3R3o8iEZIz
— Sarah Mills (@smillsSK) December 14, 2019
Val Wiks, the community ministries coordinator with the Salvation Army Haven of Hope, said just before 10 a.m. — about an hour earlier than in recent years — there were no more families to wrap for. Within the half hour that followed, the remaining 3,000 toys were packaged up for the roughly 1,500 kids in need.
Thousands of wrapped toys sit in the Regina Food Bank warehouse, waiting to be delivered after 980 CJME’s 50th annual Santas Anonymous Wrap Day on Dec. 14, 2019. (Jessie Anton/980 CJME)
“I’m just blown away by the generosity of the people who are here,” she said, noting the number of toy donations was up this year by about a third.
“People are invested — they’re invested in their community and (Santas Anonymous) lets them give back to Regina. They’re actually helping someone’s Christmas, and it’s somebody they don’t even know.”
In honour of the 50th anniversary of 980 CJME’s Santas Anonymous, Gordon Rawlinson, the owner of Rawlco Radio, presented a $500,000 cheque to the Salvation Army. Part of that money will go towards supporting Santas Anonymous over the next five years, the rest will fund the Pathway of Hope pilot project which aims to help break the inter-generational cycle of poverty.