By Christa Charron
The Salvation Army Toy Centre will once again make thousands of little faces smile this Christmas.
The Toy Centre started distributing toys Nov. 23. Parents were already lined up on the stairs and out the door into the parking lot at 9 a.m. when it opened. They were waiting to register in order to pick out new toys for their children.
Sharon Wright is on welfare and a mother of a two-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy. She has been coming to the Toy Centre for five years and says it has made a whole lot of difference at Christmas time.
“The toys are excellent for the kids,” Wright says. “I’m glad there’s something like this here. They’re really terrific people.”
Wright says she hopes she’ll find a Teletubby for her little girl.
“But really,” she smiles. “She likes anything.”
Last year the centre provided toys to about 10,000 local children from low-income families living in Ottawa.
This year the Toy Centre will probably see even more people come for toys, says Capt. Kathie Sharp, manager of the Toy Centre. Sharp says she sees the need growing every year.
“There are a lot of children out there,” Sharp says. “People are struggling to put food on the table, let alone having to put a little extra out at Christmas time.”
Sharp says this is because job security is rare and more people are losing jobs.
“We’re never really sure how many will come,” says Maj. Cliff Hollman, the Salvation Army’s community relations director. “We just go year-by-year.”
Those coming for toys are asked to bring proof of Ottawa-Carleton address, proof of income, proof of their child’s age, and personal i.d.
Each child can receive one large and small toy, a book and usually a used toy in good condition. Toys are available for children up to the age of 12.
“Giving toys frees up a little bit of resources for parents and eases the burden,” says Hollman.
“You can imagine the looks on the faces of the children and the parents seeing their children so happy.”
Hollman says this year the toy centre is a little short on toys for children eight- to 12-year olds.
The Salvation Army has been using Ottawa’s 14 fire stations as depots for toy donations for 25 years. It began distributing toys from its Toy Centre at St. Agnes School on Louisa Street nine years ago.
The Toy Mountain campaign in the city’s major malls began seven years ago so people who are shopping could drop off toys.
“Our goal is to make sure every kid gets some toys,” says Sharp.