The Great Nanaimo Toy Drive is off to a record start, with organizers planing for anywhere between 1,500 to 2,000 children, based on the amount of registrations in the first week of applications.
"We've had 900 children registered in two days, so we know the volume is going to be way up. The need for people this year is going to be incredible," said Janet Mirau, toy drive chairperson.
The charity's mission is to collect new toys, books and games for children of all ages, from newborns to Grade 12 students.
"Lego, Barbies, dolls, trucks, toys, books … stuffed animals. Anything you think your children would like. One of the things I encourage is if you're going shopping for your children, buy two. One for yours, and one for someone else you think would appreciate it."
This is the first time in almost a decade that Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district has partnered on the drive, offering to let volunteers use the gymnasium at the former Dufferin Crescent Elementary School. Up until 2016, the drive operated out of the gymnasium at Harewood school, before the facility was demolished. Trustee Tania Brzovic said the partnership was paused at that time due to space constraints, but it has been something she has been wanting to see the district get involved with again.
"The school district has been really struggling with the need for space, particularly around the overcrowding at [Nanaimo District Secondary School]," Brzovic said. "We needed that space, the gym for some of our sports programs to be able to have an extra weight room and so it just stresses the need for us to get the funding in place to make renovations or rebuild NDSS. It's really causing issues in the district."
Mirau said one of the positives with the Dufferin Crescent site is its central location along a major bus route.
"People can come again from north and south Nanaimo, lots of parking, easy access – so we're very, very thankful for this location."
Families seeking assistance can sign up to receive toys on the drive's website at http://thegreatnanaimotoydrive.ca or by phone at 778-787-1803. By phone, volunteers will be available to assist Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. until Dec. 7.
To register, families will need to provide their B.C. Service Card number or status card number for each child. After registering, families will receive a link to select a time and date to pick up their gifts and will be asked to share specific gift preferences for each child. Families can only be registered with one organization or agency for assistance.
"We sort the toys by price point, so they'll get two smaller price point or one large price point … Then they'll go to the next table and pick games, one game per family, then to the next table which is stocking stuffers," Mirau said. "So they're choosing something very specific for their children, and they choose a book for each child."
The Great Nanaimo Toy Drive is continuing to seek volunteers, who can get involved by e-mailing volunteers@thegreatnanaimotoydrive.ca. As of Friday, Nov. 29, more than 300 people have signed on to volunteer with the toy drive.
Locations for dropoffs include Country Club Centre, Nanaimo North Town Centre, Woodgrove Centre, Save-On-Foods, Coastal Community Credit Union, Nanaimo Fire Rescue, Budget Self Storage, the Port Theatre, Nanaimo Museum, Lucid and Pomme Natural Market.
