THUNDER BAY – With record need, came record numbers.
The annual Toys for Tots campaign, put on by the Thunder Bay Professional Firefighters Association, collected more than $177,000 this year, the money earmarked to buy thousands of presents for next year’s Christmas Cheer program.
It’s a staggering number, said Toys for Tots chair Paul Penna on Friday after unveiling the record-setting total at Intercity Shopping Centre.
“I thought about the 4,300 kids that we helped out with the money,” Penna said. “You can’t fit 4,300 people into Fort William Gardens. When that’s a packed house, that’s a lot of people. So it just feels so good at Christmastime to be able to help kids that really need it.”
Penna isn’t sure why they were so successful this year but said he’s always looked at Thunder Bay as one of the most generous communities in all of Canada.
This year, it showed.
“The number is higher than ever before, but our need is also higher than ever before. I don’t know why, or how, it happened, but it happened and we’re happy about that.”
Over the years, Toys for Tots has provided gifts for more than 40,000 children, and raised more than $1.46 million.
Outgoing Christmas Cheer chair, Joleene Kemp, said Thunder Bay has learned that its good practice to take care of one another, take more responsibility for them, and be more generous and kind.
It goes a long way, she said.
“There are people that are working who just can’t make ends meet, based on the cost of everything. Our hamper boxes were overflowing – the turkeys, fresh fruit, the vegetables. They make a difference for us. The icing on the cake today was seeing what Team Red is going to start with in 2024,” said Kemp, who is handing over the Christmas Cheer reins to her niece, Jill Thompson.
“They’re going to start with over $177,000, a record, so they’ll be able to purchase wonderful toys and gifts for the children in 2024. It’s absolutely wonderful.”
Christmas Cheer provided 8,500 people with food courtesy of their hamper giveaway this year, also a record.
