980 CJME’s Santas Anonymous is coming to town for 55th year

980 CJME’s Santas Anonymous is coming to town once again.

The 55th annual charity toy drive, powered by Sunlife, launched on Tuesday. The event is meant to ensure every kid has a gift under the Christmas tree during the holidays this year.

More than 60,000 toys have been donated to the campaign since it first launched back in 1969.

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Salvation Army Lieutenant Tim Fraser told 980 CJME’s Greg Morgan that the event means a lot to those who are struggling at Christmastime.

Listen to the full interview with Fraser:

“The program means hope for a lot of families,” said Fraser. “And this is kind of an opportunity that we can just to provide them a little bit of hope.”

Fraser said a growing number of families are struggling to make ends meet, which means that providing simple things like toys under the Christmas tree is often very difficult.

“We’re seeing a lot more middle-class families coming and looking for assistance. They are struggling just as much as what we would normally call a low-income family,” Fraser said.

Once all the toys are collected, they are brought to the Salvation Army’s Distribution Centre and are sorted into age groups. From there, Fraser said families can pick out their own gifts.

“We provide a shopping experience,” he explained. “We set them up just like a toy shop – like a Santa’s workshop – where families can come in and get the dignity of choosing a toy for their child, as opposed to being given a toy and saying ‘This is what you’re going to give your child.’”

Anyone can participate in Santas Anonymous by purchasing new, unwrapped toys and placing it in one of the many donation bins throughout the city from November 12 to December 11.

Toys are collected for children ranging from infants to 12 years old. Monetary donations are also accepted.

A map of where the donation bins are located can be found online.