Give the gift of a Santa fund box to a deserving family,
Helping families in need at Christmas, by the numbers Every year, the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund distributes thousands of gift boxes to families.
As you’re pondering which video game console to get your kids, or which bottle of single malt to slip into Grandpa’s stocking, you might also consider spending a few bucks to help make the holidays a little brighter for families who couldn’t otherwise afford it. The average Canadian plans to spend $643 on gifts this holiday season, according to a recent study by Nielsen Research for the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. A significant proportion — 13 per cent — plan to spend more than $1,000. For many Canadians, however, that kind of lavish spending — or any holiday spending at all — is not in the cards. There are roughly 543,000 people living below the poverty line in Toronto, according to Statistics Canada, and 125,000 of them are children.
That means more than a quarter of Toronto’ children live in poverty. It is those children the Star Santa Claus Fund is designed to help. Since 1906, the Santa Claus Fund has helped spread holiday cheer to children whose families might not otherwise be able to afford it, delivering gifts to thousands each year. The baskets include toys, clothes, books and other age-appropriate holiday gifts.
To put the $643 gift-giving plans of Canadians into perspective, we’ve dug up some numbers: $360: The amount of money a single parent with two children (17 or under) receives as a “basic needs” allowance from Ontario Works. It’s a monthly amount meant to feed and clothe the family. $697: The maximum monthly housing allowance from Ontario Works for a single parent with two children.
98,744: The number of applications on the waiting list for subsidized housing administered by the City of Toronto, including Toronto Community Housing.
$337: The average amount donated to charity by Canadians in 2016, according to the most recently available figures from Statistics Canada.
$379.99: Online price for a PS4 video game system. 10: The number of Santa Fund gift boxes which could be filled for the price of a single PS4. (This year, the Star is aiming to raise $1.7 million for the Santa Fund, with the goal of delivering 45,000 gift boxes across the GTA; the Star covers all administrative costs of running the Santa Claus Fund, and volunteers, including Star employees and their families, deliver the gift boxes. All donor money goes directly to the gifts themselves). 7: The number of grande lattes you’d have to forgo at Starbucks to cover the cost of a Santa Fund gift box. And one more number: $0: The cost to each of us to care about helping our fellow human beings, whether it’s during the holidays or any other time of year. GOAL: $1.7 million To Date: $1,123,600 To Donate: For secure online donations, please go to thestar.com/santaclausfund. Visa, AMEX and MasterCard: Dial 416-869-4847.
Please send to The Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund, One Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. The Star does not allow anyone to solicit on its behalf. Tax receipts will be issued.