Toronto Star’s Santa Claus Fund boxes this year will brighten the holidays for 45,000 kids,
This year, 45,000 kids will receive presents to spread holiday joy Nine-year-olds will receive a board game, socks and mitts.
Every year since 1906, the Toronto Star has raised money to make the holidays for local underprivileged kids a little bit brighter.
This year, 45,000 kids aged newborn to 12 in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Ajax and Pickering will receive boxes full of presents this Christmas.
Many of these children come from families with a single parent, or newly landed immigrant families — but every child who receives a box will know that Santa remembered them.
Our fundraising goal, like last year, is $1.7 million, with100 per cent of that money going to the gift boxes themselves.
The boxes are filled with gifts that any child would be thrilled to wake up to on Christmas morning — toys, games, books and fun accessories — along with some necessities — like toothbrushes and toothpaste — to help out moms and dads. Here is what’s inside:
Newborns
The box for newborns is mostly aimed at parents and is packed with essentials like baby powder, wipes, soap, diapers and petroleum jelly.
In addition to some genderneutral clothes — such as a hooded towel, toque, bib and booties — little ones also receive a new friend: a rubber duck that delivers mail on the side.
Clothes
Warm clothes, including socks, a toque, sweater and gloves or mittens will be included in every box to make sure kids stay cosy during the winter.
And every child above toddler age will receive a toothbrush and toothpaste — an essential health product, especially for developing teeth and gums. But everyone knows Santa doesn’t just bring socks. Toys and candy Along with a pack of chocolate-and-vanilla cookies for older children, Santa Fund boxes will also have a game or a toy relevant to the child’s age — from the Classic Connect 4 game (found in the age 9 box) to Chicken Drop (found in the age 7 box), where players take turns pulling feathers out of a chick- en, careful not to let its eggs fall. Books Kids will also receive books appropriate for their age, like the Notebook of Doom Collection, featuring heroic children fighting wacky monsters spawned from a notebook — or the adventures of Eric Vale: Super Male, whose “reverse Midas touch” is constantly getting him into zany situations. How to donate If you’d like to donate to the Santa Claus Fund, you can do so online using our secure form; by phone using VISA, MasterCard or Amex at 416-869-4847; or by mail with cheques or money orders made payable and sent to The Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund, One Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario M5E 1E6. Donations are accepted until Christmas Eve. Every donor will receive a tax receipt in January. Please call 416-869-4847 to request an acknowledgment card.