Antonio Garcia can still remember his first winter coat. It was 15 years ago when he emigrated from Azores to Canada with his family. They could not afford to buy new clothes so Antonio’s school teacher, noticing that he was not properly dressed for winter, took him to the local Salvation Army Thrift Store in Toronto. It was there that Antonio picked out his first winter coat.

“The store manager gave the coat to me as a gift,” says Antonio. “I never forgot that day and I always remembered The Salvation Army because of that experience.”

To express his gratitude and to support the charity that helped him when he needed it, Antonio organized a community collection event in the Bloor-Toronto area. The two-day event, held on November 18 and 19, generated more than 30 large bags of clothing and several boxes of toys, books and non-perishable food items for The Salvation Army.

On November 19, Antonio, with the support of other local business owners, held a reception at FestiFlor Catering to thank donors and to formally present the donations to The Salvation Army.

Antonio is donating all the clothing, toys and books to the Salvation Army Thrift Store on 1219 Bloor Street West and the food items to the local food bank.

The Salvation Army applauds Antonio Garcia and the many supporters who donated items to help those in need this holiday season. We also thank Antonio’s family, friends and colleagues for their help in organizing the collection event and the reception.