Firefighters toy drive marks 80 years
Campaign’s focus on sports equipment to keep children active
Since 1940, Sherbrooke firefighters have come together to support local families in need during the holiday season. Their annual toy campaign will proceed this year with a special request for outdoor sports equipment to be donated.
As many families have experienced major changes in their daily lives, this year’s toy campaign is more important than ever. “We’re in our 80th year now and we’re doing things similarly to what we have in the past two years,” said David Leblanc, a firefighter in the Sherbrooke Fire Department and the director of operations for the toys campaign. “Families can sign up
through the registration form on our website and then on Dec.19, they will have a box of toys delivered from our firefighters or sponsors.”
Leblanc said that the registration period has yet to close, but already, registration numbers are matching previous years. “The boxes are delivered to about 600 families, which equals
out to be an average of 1,000 kids,” he said. “We usually stay between 800 and 1,000 children and we’re expecting similar numbers this year.”
This year is special, considering the pandemic, so the toy campaign has made some adjustments. While they normally accept used toys as donations, the department has noticed that repairing some of these toys proves difficult. “If we get a small electric toy car, for example, that can get quite difficult for repairing or cleaning,” said Leblanc. “This year, we’re partnering with different companies, like Toys ‘R’ Us, to purchase some of the toys. We’re still accepting donations in the form of money or new toys.”
The fire department is also making a special request for sports equipment this year. “With the isolation and having to stay home, we want to encourage the children to be active and get outside,” said Leblanc. “It’s one of our core values that we support with the campaign, and we thought that the best way to support kids being active would be to accept sports equipment as donations.”
Some donations have already been accepted and a second date is coming up next week. “With or without COVID, we’re still accepting and delivering the toys and equipment,” said Leblanc. “We are, of course, observing measures to keep our firefighters, sponsors, and families safe.”
“Our main objective is to help families in the city having difficulties,” said Leblanc. “It’s incredible to see the reach we have to the community. Some people who received boxes as children are quite successful, one owns a market in the city. There’s also a family that we’ve helped who now own a restaurant and it’s incredible to see how we contribute to their success.”
The last date to drop off donations is Nov. 29, and will be accepted at the fire stations in Sherbrooke. Families who wish to register for a box of toys are asked to submit a request form through https://inscription.cjps.info/.