Sadly, 800,000 Canadian children will spend Christmas 2009 in poverty. With this in mind, The Salvation Army is motivated to make Christmas as bright as possible for as many children as possible.
As a result of Canada’s slumping economy, there is a growing demand for toys already this year. In some Salvation Army centres requests are up 70% from Christmas last year. While toys for all children are needed and welcome, items for older teens, such as books and winter clothes, are in especially short supply.
Regina’s Kevin and Dawn Buchanan have gone through some tough times in the past and weren’t sure they would have enough money to give their six kids a Christmas. “We turned to The Salvation Army for assistance in putting gifts under the tree,” says Kevin. “To see the faces on our kids when they had toys to open on Christmas morning meant everything to us.”
Buchanan said he doesn’t know what they would have done without The Salvation Army. He and his wife now volunteer to help with the programs the organization runs.
Christmas is a stressful time for thousands of Canadians whose paycheques are eaten up by food and rent. Single moms, widows, parents who have been laid off, and those who barely scrape by to provide basic necessities need your help.
Some families don’t need help with food, but do need help buying toys, so there are different programs to which a family can apply through The Salvation Army.
Those interested in making donations of money or new, unwrapped toys can do so at your local Salvation Army office. When you make Christmas special for a needy child in your community you give hope to the whole family. Together we can bring light into someone’s darkest moments.
