THUNDER BAY – Paul Penna was starting to grow concerned at the beginning of December when Toys for Tots was still $60,000 shy of his targeted goal.
“I didn’t want to disappoint anybody, especially the kids,” said Penna, the chair of the Thunder Bay Professional Firefighters’ campaign. “I was nervous but somehow at the same I felt like Thunder Bay was going to come through for us and they sure did.”
The community responded to the tune of $154,400, surpassing the campaign’s unofficial target of $150,000, as the final fundraising amount was revealed on Thursday afternoon at the Intercity Shopping Centre.
With 3,850 children receiving gifts through the Christmas Cheer Fund hamper pick up this week, the need remains strong in the community.
“People just seem to have a heart for Christmas, they have a heart for children,” Penna said. “Somehow Thunder Bay just comes through, even if it’s late they come through.”
Penna said Thunder Bay firefighters likely spent thousands of hours of their own time throughout the duration of the campaign, between staffing the donation drop-off at the Intercity Shopping Centre or participating in special events like server nights at Boston Pizza and On Deck and other fundraisers hosted by Petsmart and Sleeping Giant Brewing Company.
As well, the campaign received a $50,000 start from Tim Horton’s Smile Cookie fundraiser.
But it’s everyone who took an extra minute while out shopping, giving what they could, that made sure the campaign was a success, Penna said.
“Our biggest giver is the people of Thunder Bay when they reach into their pockets and bring monetary donations to us here,” Penna said. “Make no mistake about it, the people of Thunder Bay are the ones that are really the heroes to us in making sure Toys for Tots is successful.”
Christmas Cheer Fund chair Joleene Kemp said nearly 93 per cent of the families who registered picked up a hamper earlier this week.
While the one week’s worth of food, turkey and fresh fruit and vegetables keeps families fed during the holiday season, the toys help preserve the magic of Christmas for the children, Kemp said.
“There were some families that came with their children because they were all together and when the children were leaving they wanted to peek in the thing and they could see some of the gifts as they were watching and waiting for their hamper,” Kemp said.
“They just lit up. It’s amazing. We had some extra stuffed animals given to us so some of the toy people would go and give them a stuffed animal, well you would have thought they had gotten $1 million. They were happy and their parents were happy.”
Kemp said the 8,042 people who signed up and received food and gifts through the hampers is a 20 per increase from 2016.
The difference it makes in the recipients’ lives is unmistakable, Penna said.
“For me, it’s emotionally overwhelming each time I go and I see it,” Penna said.
“You see people you might know and wouldn’t expect they’re in trouble but they are and I’ve had people come up to me over the years I’ve been doing this and give me a big hug and start crying and saying when they were a child their family was a recipient of the food hamper and they got gifts from Toys for Tots.”
