Surrey Christmas office needs an angel to provide space for toy depot – BC
As the holiday season approaches, BC’s largest Christmas charity is « desperate » in need of an angel to provide space for its annual toy depot.
The Surrey Christmas Bureau fills the depot with toys, books and clothes for children from low income families. Parents can browse the shelves and shop – for free – and also pick up a grocery voucher.
« It’s concerning, » Lisa Werring, the nonprofit’s executive director, said in an interview.
« It’s a little late in the season for us to be at this stage at the moment, but I’m confident there are some great corporate citizens in Surrey who will be ready to step up and become one Santa’s helpers. »
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BC soup kitchens, food banks grapple with increased demand and dwindling donations
The Surrey Christmas Bureau needs at least 10,000 square feet to build its ‘pop-up’ toy store and space for staff and volunteers to park their vehicles. A loading dock is preferable, Werring said, as is a location in central Surrey easily accessible by public transport.
“We bring in our own shelves and we bring in pretty much everything,” she told Global News.
« We usually move in mid-October and can disappear without a trace quite quickly after Christmas, before New Years. »
The nonprofit supports around 2,000 families in need each year and in 2021 provided nearly $190,000 in food stamps, the equivalent of around 21,000 holiday meals.
« Economic stress is really bad for everyone now and has been for a few years…every parent just wants to give their child a Merry Christmas, » Werring said.
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The Surrey Board of Trade said it was working hard ‘behind the scenes’ to find a relationship with the Surrey Christmas Bureau, canvassing its members for suitable vacant space for the deposit.
« It’s not just about toys, it’s about giving our kids that basic sense of belonging to their community, » said Anita Huberman, President and CEO.
“It is an essential element of the habitability of our city. There are so many in need. »
Huberman said the challenge is a « lack of availability » – even a space that appears vacant may have already been purchased and will be occupied shortly.
« Surrey is a very successful place from an economic point of view, so it’s very difficult for a developer to say, ‘You can have this space for two to three months every year.' »
Information on how to support the Surrey Christmas Bureau is available on their website.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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