When Jessica walked through the doors of the SOS Toy Shop a couple of years ago, she broke down.
“I’m pretty sure I cried,” she said. “No one wants to have to ask for help, but they make you feel welcome the whole way through. I was blown away that something like this existed.”
Jessica was also blown away by the “life-saving” gift she was able to find for her son. Jessica and her husband accessed the program after her husband had been laid off that year, and family members let her know about the SOS Caring for Community at Christmas program.
The program ensures local children and youth find a special gift under the tree on Christmas morning, and provides grocery store gift cards so families and individuals have food in the cupboards over the holidays.
Many of the gifts that stock the SOS Toy Shop, where parents and grandparents shop for free, come from the Tigh-Na-Mara Toy Drive. This year, the Toy Drive is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
“I can’t believe how fast the 10th year has come up for this event,” said Paul Drummond, event-founder and general manager of Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre. “We are so grateful to our volunteers and our community for embracing the Toy Drive Breakfast with their presence and presents, and generosity.”
Last year the Tigh-Na-Mara Toy Drive collected 1,693 toys and gifts for the SOS Christmas program, nearly $4,000 in gift cards and more than $9,000 in cash and cheques.
People can bring a new, unwrapped gift, or monetary donation, and receive a free breakfast. This year the Toy Drive will take place Wednesday, Nov. 28. Doors open at 6 a.m. and breakfast is available from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. There is also a drive-through breakfast and toy drop off from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Non-perishable food items will also be collected for the local Salvation Army Food Bank.
“It makes a huge difference to the SOS Christmas program and it’s a wonderful event,” said Susanna Newton, SOS Executive Director. “We are so grateful that Tigh-Na-Mara continues to host this event, bringing so many people together for this very important cause, and they trust that SOS will make sure the items get where they need to go.”
The SOS Caring for Community at Christmas program has been running for more than 50 years in the community. Last year 1,248 children and youth received gifts and 1,146 adults received grocery store gift cards. Seniors, who are shut in, or without close friends or family, also receive gift-filled Christmas stockings through the program.
Jessica’s son suffers from night terrors, and she didn’t know it at the time but the gift she found for him would bring him great comfort.
“It’s a minion nightlight that sings and it actually brings him out of his night terrors,” she said. “I’ve never seen it anywhere before and we found it [at SOS], and it was perfect.”
Her other son had been asking for nothing but a basketball, she said, and they were also able to find that in the SOS Toy Shop.
“The entire program eases a lot of stress and gives us more time to enjoy the season with our kids, instead of being worried.”
For more information on the SOS Caring for Community at Christmas program, visit www.sosd69.com. Tigh-Na-Mara is located at 1155 Resort Drive in Parksville. For more information on Tigh-Na-Mara visit www.tigh-na-mara.com.
— Submitted by Lissa Alexander