‘They knew they weren’t forgotten’ by Santa
Gift boxes help give families, especially immigrants, a sense of togetherness, clinic nurse says
The first — and only — Christmas gifts Muni Cao’s children receive come from a secret Santa dispatched by the Toronto Star.
The children’s books, mittens, scarves, T-shirts, toys and snacks in the colourful gift boxes may seem just basic necessities for some, but they are everything this Toronto immigrant family has needed.
“Kids do get sad when they see others getting Christmas presents, and they don’t. My kids’ eyes just lit up when they saw the gift box and knew they weren’t forgotten,” said Cao, who moved to Canada from Peru with her husband, Chiming Ye, and their daughter, Celine, and son, Kensen, in 2014.
“It made them feel the warmth of Canada despite its cold winter.”
Cao and Ye, originally from China, ran a small restaurant in Lima, but the rising crime rates there prompted them to look for another place to raise Celine, now 14, and Kensen, 10.
So when an opportunity came up in 2014 for Ye to come to Canada on a work permit as an HVAC technician, installing and servicing heating and cooling systems, they gladly took up the offer.
Cao stayed home to look after the kids and the family relied on the sole income of Ye, who had to work full time while going to school on weekends to get relicensed in Canada. The couple could barely make ends meet, let alone afford Christmas gifts for their children — four in total now; Victoria, 4, and Kate, 1, were born here.
Through the staff at Hong Fook Connecting Health Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, the family was registered for the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund. The charity, established in 1906, raises money to purchase gifts each year for 45,000 children in need around the GTA. The
l is to raise $1.2 million in this pandemic year.
“We are a very lucky agency to be part of this program. We serve many lowincome families and newcomers in the community, including some who are refugees and undocumented in Canada,” says Cheuk Fai Law, the clinic’s lead nurse practitioner, whose organization signs up some 500 clients for the program each year.
“The kids are so happy and excited when they see their names on the gift boxes. This program gives people a sense of togetherness. This is particularly so this year with the pandemic when we’re keeping a distance from others. It gives us all a psychological boost.”
Cao says her children treasure everything in the box: Celine saves her books; Kensen loves the snacks; the small toys are Victoria’s favourites; and Kate will have her first present this December.
“The pandemic has made it a very difficult year for so many people. I feel fortunate that my husband still has his job,” says Cao, whose family was finally granted permanent residence status in Canada last year.
“Kids love getting presents, and this is great, but Christmas is really about sharing. Knowing you are not alone and there are people out there looking out for you is what the holiday is truly about.”