What’s in the Santa Claus Fund box?
They may be the only gifts that 45,000 Toronto-area children receive this year. Brand new, age-appropriate and gender neutral, a lot of detail and forethought goes into each and every Santa Claus Fund care package. One hundred per cent of your donations fund the contents of these boxes, and our goal this year is to raise $1.7 million toward the cause. We’ve come a long way since 1906, when the Santa Claus Fund first served 350 of Toronto’s children. Santa’s elves will be delivering toys and so much more to children this year. The idea is to give a box that meets many needs:
Clothing
The clothing that comes in these packages is specially designed directly with Toronto-area manufacturers and not available in stores. They feature screen-printed graphic designs in bold colours and Canadian iconography. Older kids get sweatshirts, younger ones get track suits; babies get a five-piece set that includes a bib and booties.
Outdoor gear
We all know kids need to be prepared for Canada’s notorious winters, and this is especially true for new immigrants who are experiencing their first winter. Polar fleece gloves are packed for the big kids, nylon mitts for the littles and lined knitted toques come in bright colours for all.
Cookies
Two kinds of cookies take the place of candy in this year’s boxes: coconut flavoured, or teddy bears (chocolate or honey).
A toy
The youngest recipients will get baby rattles, plush animals or puzzle mats; bigger kids get colouring books and crayons, play sets and puzzles.
Toothbrush and toothpaste
These are included for children aged four and up — research shows poor dental hygiene affects a child’s emotional health, overall growth and development.
Socks
Warm toes are essential in winter!
Books
We include a gift of reading in every box, too, to promote literacy. Many of the books in these boxes are hardcover, sourced through Scholastic, and include popular titles and characters, like Clifford the Big Red Dog.
The box
They are also manufactured in the Toronto area, and feature a retro Santa on its lid this year, a nod back to this charity’s 110-year history. The boxes will reach needy children in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Ajax and Pickering. If you have benefitted from the Santa Claus Fund or have a story to tell, please email santaclausfund@thestar.ca To Donate: For secure online donations, please go to thestar.com/santaclausfund. Visa, AMEX, Discover and MasterCard: Dial 416-869-4847. Cheques: Please send to The Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund, One Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. Follow us at: thestar.com/santaclausfund and use #StarSantaClausFund on Twitter. The Star does not allow anyone to solicit on its behalf. Tax receipts will be issued.