London-based 'Toys for Tots' sends 30,000 gifts to needy kids across Canada

More children than ever before will have gifts to unwrap thanks to a volunteer-run charity based in London, Ont. that collects thousands of toys each year to donate to families in need.

Toys for Tots gathered, sorted and distributed more than 30,000 gifts for approximately 6,000 children across the country, many in Ontario, with the help of veterans and serving members of the Armed Forces this past weekend. 

Each child will have four toys geared to their interests on Christmas morning, donated from people in communities, workplaces and corporate toy drives. 

"There are thousands, and thousands of families who now have presents that they're going to wrap up and put under their tree for their kids," said Toys for Tots coordinator Rebekah Gilliland.

Gilliland said the demand was higher than in past years, due to the increased cost of living, with agencies across Canada reaching out saying they needed help. 

"We supported everywhere from as far south as Windsor to as far north as Arctic communities," said Gilliland. "We did meet the need, and everyone who requested gifts from us received toys."

She said toys were sent to 300 children in Halifax, Vancouver, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories this year. First Nations communities in Ontario were also sent hampers of toys. 

Fortunately, organizers said people were extremely generous, leaving them with an excess of gifts. That allowed them to help groups that realized at the last minute they were unable to meet the need in their own community. 

At the Women's Interval Home of Sarnia-Lambton, a family shelter, about 160 children needed gifts with the charity tapped out of resources.

"I gave them a call on Friday and I said 'hey, we have a bunch of extra toys, do you have a place for them to go?' And it was like a miraculous moment for them," Gilliland said. "They were like 'Oh my gosh, this is what we've been needing!'"

Gratitude for donors 

The toy donations came from all over Canada and the United States, an incredible show of generosity, Gilliland said. 

"If you have a bunch of normal people donating 1 toy, that might not seem like a lot in the moment," she said. "But when it all comes together, that supports thousands and thousands of people who were really desperate and struggling this season." 

"Parents are crying just because they're so overwhelmed with the gratitude and relief that they don't have to worry about where they're getting [and] how they're going to get toys for their kids on Christmas," said Gilliland.