Great Nanaimo Toy Drive ramping up for busy season

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Registration for those wanting to receive items this holiday season opens Friday, Nov. 20, on the Toy Drive’s website or through their phone service.

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Families will be able to register their details with Toy Drive staff until Dec. 10.

Beginning Dec. 12, hundreds of volunteers will sort and set up a shopping experience for registered families to walk through and pick out items to gift this Christmas.

The shopping days are scheduled for Dec. 17 and 18.

“Our team [Society] is small but mighty, so we really depend on all of the people who come out and help. Our small board team are less than 10 people who pull this off every year, and the community are the people who really fill in all the spaces to make sure that this happens.”

Anyone wanting to volunteer their time over the eight-day span can register on the Society’s website.

Those wanting to donate gifts should purchase a new, unwrapped item and place it in one of the donation collection areas.

Gift idea lists for various age ranges are available online, but Mirau said they always lack selection for older kids.

“We always struggle with our teens, so people who have teens and know the kinds of things that they’re interested in, we of course would love for them to be letting us know or to make those donations. [We always need] Lego, Barbies, this year we have a particular need for games…that’s something that we like to send all of our families home with…because that’s something part of a tradition that families can do together.”

Stuffed toys are also a very popular item each year.

Mirau added financial contributions are accepted too through their website.

A number of community events will be aiding the cause again this year, including Teddy Bear Toss nights from the Nanaimo Clippers (Nov. 20) and Nanaimo Buccaneers (Dec. 11) hockey teams, as well as the Nanaimo RCMP’s Cram the Cruiser event on Dec. 12.

The Toy Drive began with members of the Altrusa Club of Nanaimo fixing up and recycling toys.

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