The generosity of Parksville-area residents and beyond continues to grow as SOS has once again seen greater numbers of toy and money donations to the annual Tigh-Na-Mara Toy Drive.
The event invited people to drop by Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa and Resort between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Nov. 28 for some free breakfast with a donation of an unwrapped gift or money donation to support the SOS Toy Shop.
A wall of toys soon grew, and then a large pile as more and more people arrived throughout the morning, from children, parents, grandparents and seniors.
When all was tallied, all counts were up from the last three years. The number of toys went to 1,990, up from 1,693 last year. Gift cards donated totalled $4,573, up from $3,972 in 2017. And cash and cheque donations counted up to $9,320, up from $9,090 last year.
“We want to thank Tigh-Na-Mara, the staff and suppliers for putting on this amazing event, and of course the community for their outpouring of generosity,” said SOS executive director Susanna Newton. “The gifts and gift cards are a huge help in stocking our Toy Shop, and the cash donations will greatly contribute to our donation goal of $110,00. We have now hit $57,995, which is fantastic.
“It was wonderful to see so many people coming together to make Christmas brighter for our residents. We truly live in a great community, and we are so grateful for the support of the SOS Christmas Program.”