New “Toy Store” Initiative Gives Families Dignity and Fairness During Christmas
As daylight saving time ends and temperatures creep closer to the negatives, Salvation Army locations across Canada are gearing up for the holiday season.
“This is a way for us to help children have a merry Christmas.”
The Salvation Army in Weyburn, Sask., is always one of the first places to prepare its Christmas assistance, registering families as early as October.
For many years, they ran an “Adopt a Family”-style program that encouraged donors to purchase gifts anonymously for specific participants. However, this concept changed last year.
“Adopt a Family was not always equal. When families came to pick up the gifts, we would sometimes see a discrepancy between the things participants received and it just wasn’t fair,” says Nicole Strickland, community ministries worker for The Salvation Army in Weyburn.
The new model gives families receiving assistance more dignity and the freedom to choose.
Now, donors buy brand new toys and all the gifts collected are placed in a temporary “toy store” set up at The Salvation Army. Parents come in and personally select the toys they believe their children would enjoy.
“When you go into a store and find something you know your child is going to love, it’s a good feeling. To give these parents the chance to have that feeling is rewarding,” Nicole adds.
“When you go into a store and find something you know your child is going to love, it’s a good feeling.”
The new setup also ensures equity among the families participating in the program. Donations fall within a certain range and all receive the toys that best suit them.
Since turning to this model last year, feedback from participants has been positive.
“We have seen a lot more tears of joy and many thank-you’s,” Nicole shares. “Just telling them about the new options they had, made many families happier. This is a model that they prefer.”
The “toy store” will be open on Dec. 15 and 16. Four parents will be able to access it at a time and they will be assisted by a volunteer “personal shopper”. Wrapping paper is also given out to the families to take home and prepare the gifts that will be opened on Christmas Day.
People in the community can support the “toy store” by donating brand-new gifts of approximately $30. Volunteers are welcome to help with the operation of the program and monetary donations are accepted as well, to provide families with gift cards that would allow them to buy groceries for their holiday dinners.
“This is a way for us to help children have a merry Christmas,” Nicole says.
By Juan Romero
