Gifts are being collected at Country Club Centre and a long list of other locations through December to be handed out beginning next week to over 1,500 registered kids. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

tick tock

More kids, less toys so far for Great Nanaimo Toy Drive

Dec 7, 2023 | 10:07 AM

NANAIMO — The Great Nanaimo Toy Drive is facing a substantial increase in registrations, but a potential shortfall in gifts this holiday season.

Organizers with the annual event, which has run for over 40 years in the Harbour City, say roughly 30 per cent more people have registered to receive a gift this year with around 1,500 children on the list.

Janet Mirau, one of the volunteer organizers with the event, said they’ll start organizing donated gifts in the coming days but with the increased interest, there is still a lot up in the air.

“We won’t know what our donations are until next week. We’re distributing on the 14th and 15th but we don’t get our toys until the 11th, 12th and 13th. We’re really hopeful that we will have enough donations from all these amazing partners who are collecting toys.”

Whatever they don’t have coming in next week, they’re hopeful to be able to buy with donated funds and gift cards, also something they don’t know if it will be possible.

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Mirau said cost pressures from housing and utilities to groceries and more are making the holiday season more difficult for more people.

Those same pressures are also impacting donations coming in.

“Our best guess is that we are down from previous years,” Mirau admitted. “[It’s] the same thing for people making donations [as those asking for help], the cost of toys has gone up, their ability to be able to contribute [is less], so our sense is generally donations will be down from the community.”

Of particular need are gifts for kids aged nine to 12, and 13 to 17 years old.

The Great Nanaimo Toy Drive offers regularly updated lists of suggested donations on their website with craft kits, fine art supplies, nail polish sets, sporting equipment and Lego all very popular in the nine to 12 age group.

“Headphones, wireless speakers, microphones, all that kind of stuff,” Mirau said of the older kids. “Anything for personal grooming, shaving kits, hairstyling kits are great for that 13 to 17-year-old age range.”

Toys are being collected at a wide array of locations throughout Nanaimo for the Great Nanaimo Toy Drive. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Despite a potential gulf in toys versus registrations, one place where the Toy Drive is excelling is the people to sort and display all the items.

Mirau said all their volunteer shifts are filled both through the days and evenings and they feel very comfortable about where they’re at.

“We have to make this happen in such a compressed time frame. The toys start coming in on Monday, by Wednesday we have them all sorted and organized then by Thursday we have people coming in to select and make choices in what is a big display not unlike a department store.”

Donations can be made through the holidays at a wide array of locations including Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo North Town Centre, Country Club Centre and all Save-On-Foods locations.

The Nanaimo Museum, Port Theatre and Fire Stations 1, 2, 3 and 4 also have collection stands.

A complete list is available on the Great Nanaimo Toy Drive’s Website.

Gifts donated before Dec. 14 will be included for this year’s activities. Ones left on Dec. 15 or after will be stored and handed out next year.

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