Memory of past gives space to present
Recipient of a Star gift 30 years ago donates space to store packages
David Narciso can still remember the excitement he felt more than 30 years ago when he received his first Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund gift box.
As one of four children being raised by a single mother who had emigrated from Portugal, young David didn’t get a lot of fancy gifts at Christmas. So, when volunteers from the Star’s Santa Claus Fund showed up with a box full of presents, it was a special moment. “What I remember most about that experience was a sense of comfort because someone out there had thought about and cared enough to give me that present,” said Narciso, 40.
“What followed next was the excitement and anticipation that comes with opening a gift — and that has stuck with me throughout all of these years.” His gratitude to Santa Claus Fund volunteers who helped make his childhood Christmases memorable is just one of the reasons why Narciso has not only been delivering the boxes to children across the GTA for more than a decade, but also why he donates 1,500 square feet of warehouse space to store the gifts awaiting delivery.
Back in 2011, while Narciso was picking up boxes at one of several depots across the city, he had a conversation with another Santa Claus Fund worker who mentioned that organizers were looking for more local “depot” storage space.
Narciso immediately spoke to his business partner, Douglas Atkinson, with whom he runs a business supplying public libraries with audio-visual materials, about the possibility of using space in their Scarborough warehouse to keep the boxes before delivery.
“He said absolutely. Doug knows my story and there was no question about it,” said Narciso.
Late last week, volunteers loaded in more than 1,000 Santa Claus Fund boxes at Narciso and Atkinson’s warehouse near McCowan Rd. and Hwy. 401.
The stacks of boxes, some in rows more than eight feet high, create the illusion of a giant maze as Narciso walks through the gifts with his 19-month-old Wheaten terrier, Apollo, who he has brought to work today.
Narciso says he hopes other businesses might consider do- nating space in future years.
“It doesn’t have to be a warehouse. It might be part of the office space.
It’s ideal if it’s a warehouse because it’s easy to load and unload, but you kind of find a way to make things work,” he said.
Each box is packed with a variety of fun and useful gifts, such as games, books, toys, socks, a toque and even a toothbrush and toothpaste.
About 45,000 underprivileged children under the age of 12 in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Ajax and Pickering will receive a box this year.
For many, it will be the only present they receive this holiday season.
As a recipient of the boxes when he was a boy, Narciso says he knows how meaningful it can be for a child receiving one now.
“It’s important to me because I see a bit of myself in that child. I can put myself instantly in their shoes and know what that feeling is,” said Narciso, a married father of a teenage girl and boy.
“Joy bursts out of them. They’re like ‘YAY!’ They can’t even contain their excitement. And then you’re transported back to being that little boy in that moment of time. This is what it’s all about.”
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