Agassiz company starts Christmas toy drive for children affected by floods

An Agassiz outdoor outfitting company is trying to make the holiday season a little brighter for families who lost their homes in recent flooding. 

ACM Outfitters has partnered with the local post office to collect Christmas presents for children that have been affected by the disaster. 

"They've got nothing. Families aren't going to be able to afford to give them presents," said owner Clayton Braaksma. 

Agassiz, a community located in the eastern Fraser Valley, has been in a state of emergency since Nov. 14 when flooding severely impacted several areas in the province.

When Braaksma went to set up a post office box where people could send the gifts, the Agassiz post office offered to take care of the collection free of charge. 

Braaksma then put out a call out for donations on his company's TikTok page. The video has received more than 10,000 views at the time of publication. 

Braaksma said they have since received a steady amount of gifts, including contributions from large companies and a donation from Vancouver-born singer Powfu.

When the initial floods hit, Braaksma saw the devastation first-hand as he worked to help people from his boat. 

"Started this toy drive right after seeing all the devastation and just how sad it was, Christmas presents floating around," said Braaksma.

The company is asking for gifts for children between two and 15 years old. 

After all the donations have been made to the post office, Braaksma said his team will pick them up and distribute them through schools and other community members.