The Christmas season brings lots of joy but for many families the financial pressure is unimaginable. “I personally could do without my own food,” said one man, who wished to remain anonymous. “I’d rather them have their Christmas.” He said he has relied on the Salvation Army’s Christmas Assistance Program for six years. “It’s at the point where you have a choice, either food or pay rent, or have Christmas,” he said. The program helps families in need by providing toys and gifts for children. “On Friday we saw almost 500 households and today we’re expecting 600,” said Nancy Kerr, executive director with the Salvation Army. “Overall, we expected to give out toys to about 5,500 kids this year.” Parents got to choose from a variety of donated items to give their kids, including board games, books, and crafts. On top of this year’s donations from the community, the salvation army also received 20,000 stuffed animals from the London Knights’ annual teddy bear toss. Bikes donated by Waste Connections of Canada are also available for pick up throughout the week. “This year we ended up getting about 100 bikes,” said Ben Cowderoy, plant manager at Waste Connections of Canada. “We collected roughly $12,000 throughout the year.” Hundreds of volunteers dedicated their time to ensure everything ran smoothly on Monday’s distribution day. “It’s just such a blessing to be able to serve people, those less fortunate,” said Antonette Roestoff, a volunteer with the Salvation Army. Roestoff travelled all the way from South Africa to spend the holidays with her son. “The weather is quite different from South Africa,” said Roestoff. She said the opportunity to give back during her visit is an extra bonus. “All I can do is bring them to the lord and give them a hug and a cuddle,” said Roestoff. “I’m going to be praying for them.” The organization is accepting donations until next weekend, at various drop off locations across the city.
