Building a Mountain of Toys in Etobicoke

When Faith Ofuasia arrived in Canada from Nigeria with her husband and children, love and compassion awaited her at The Salvation Army.

Thanks to a friend, Faith, her husband Chris and their four children, now attend Etobicoke Temple, a Salvation Army Church guided by Majors Robert and Dana Reid.

“I found out about The Salvation Army through a friend of mine. When I came in 2008 she told me about Salvation Army. So I the day I visited I met a lovely woman, Rose and Marsha. They were so friendly. They accommodated my needs and from that day I felt the love of Salvation Army,” Faith recalls.

Her children, ranging in age from 8-17, have received gifts during Christmas thanks to  CTV Toy Mountain through The Salvation Army. Faith says she would not have been able to afford presents for the family were it not for CTV Toy Mountain.

The Thistletown Lions Club is one of the groups collecting gifts to ensure children have presents under the tree this Christmas. The Etobicoke-based service club has donated gifts to The Salvation Army for many years, says Club president Dharamdeo Johnie.

“To donate to the Salvation Army is to help the less fortunate the kids who can’t afford to buy a toy or to have something for Christmas. And this is one way where we can put joy into their life,” Dharamdeo says.

Last year, the Lions Club donated more than 150 gifts to CTV Toy Mountain, and this year Dharamdeo says they plan on exceeding that number in 2021, with more toys and cash donations.

Dr. Tony Van Hoof’s Christmas tradition includes The Salvation Army to create a brighter Christmas for those in need. Since 2010, the Toronto chiropractor from Etobicoke Family Chiropractic, has collected toys for CTV Toy Mountain to help The Salvation Army ensure every child gets a gift on Dec. 25. His generous patients fill the office with toys every year.

Some years, customers drop off so many gifts that Dr. Van Hoof has trouble fitting all the donations in his car to bring them to the Etobicoke Temple. He recruits his daughters to help pack the toys and share in the experience of giving back to the community.

“The Salvation Army has done a great job at helping out through this pandemic. Everyone’s been so worried about their health, themselves, and their family. That has been great that they’ve been able to keep their doors open and the food banks open and, but it comes with a lot of effort and a lot of help is needed to keep it going.”

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Rosemarie Bryan, Community and Family Services Coordinator at Etobicoke Temple ensures families like the Ofuasias get toys from donors like Thistletown Lions Club and Dr. Tony Van Hoof. She pre-registers children to guarantee they receive a gift from Toy Mountain at Christmas.

Once a family registers for Toy Mountain, they are given a date and time to return to Etobicoke Temple to pick up their pre-packaged gifts. Rosemarie registers more than 800 families each year to receive some of the more than 8000 gifts collected at Etobicoke Temple annually.

A list of Toy Mountain drop-off locations can be found at https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toy-mountain and monetary donations are accepted online at www.salvationarmy.ca.