THUNDER BAY – Day in and day out, firefighting is a team profession.
That holds true when it comes to the annual Thunder Bay Professional Firefighters Toys for Tots campaign.
Local firefighters kicked off this year’s drive at the Intercity Shopping Centre on Friday, with their festive fire station set up outside the foot court to collect donations to help ensure all children wake up with presents to open on Christmas morning.
Chair Paul Penna said firefighters give up hundreds of hours every year to volunteer their time.
“Everybody knows that firefighting is a team effort. If somebody is not doing their job on the fire ground, it affects the whole situation,” chair Paul Penna said.
“Toys for Tots, we all do it together. It’s incredible the amount of man hours that are put in here. We’re here for six weeks, every day, and these guys are giving their time.”
Last year the campaign raised $154,000, which provided toys for more than 3,800 children in need. While this year’s numbers are not yet known, it is expected it could surpass 4,000.
The campaign got a head start, receiving $27,000 from Tim Horton’s that had been raised through their Smile Cookie drive.
“Thunder Bay is always so generous to us. Even some years when it seems like we’re behind, they always seem to come through in the last two weeks,” Penna said.
“It doesn’t always look great in the beginning the first several weeks but once people start getting in that Christmas spirit and they start realizing what we’re doing here with the firefighters is greatly impacting families and children at such a special time of year, Thunder Bay just comes through.”
Christmas Cheer chair Joleene Kemp said Christmas is about the children and the sense of giving.
“For the children, it’s a sense of normalcy,” Kemp said. “It’s a sense of dignity and self-worth for the parents. It’s really, really important and most remarkable.”
Penna said it’s a cause that hits close to home for many firefighters, especially the ones that have children of their own.
“They realize how lucky they are that they can provide gifts for their children every year. Not all families are as fortunate as some of us are so it’s a way for our guys to give back to the community to the people who need it,” Penna said.
This year’s campaign will introduce two new ways of giving. Donations can be made through the campaign’s website and next week a text messaging to donate system will be introduced.
Other fundraising activities planned include a firefighters’ serving night at On Deck on Dec. 2. Firefighters will make be featured during Celebrity Server Day at Boston Pizza on Dec. 5, where 10 per cent of all bills will be donated and all tips will go to Toys for Tots. Then, on Dec. 9, there will be a photos with Santa family event at Sleeping Giant Brewery.
