The holidays have come and gone, leaving our hearts more full as they do every year! In usual CAFE tradition, we facilitate local toy and food drives within our communities, and every holiday season, our CAFE family never fails to surprise us with the overwhelming donations. This year was no exception with our Toy Drive, which was a huge success.
We collected toys during the month of December, and dropped them off to our local charity partners Salvation Army and Toy Mountain, just in time for Santa to deliver them on Christmas! On drop off day, the team met at our 932 Bloor West location, where all the toys were gathered. We were all overwhelmed by the amount of toy donations that had come in, which simply reinforced our faith in the local community despite the tumultuous economic situation so many are facing this year. It is truly amazing how the holiday spirit inspires people to reach in and help out.
We then began the task of loading up all the donations into our delivery vehicles, filling them to the brim and barely being able to shut the doors before heading down to the designated drop off area at Dufferin Mall. Once we checked in with the mall staff, we brought in all of the toys to the large donation bin located inside.
There was something so fulfilling about loading up that toy bin! Our team happily stuffed the donation bin until it was completely full with all the toys we had collected. We chatted with passers-by that were curious about our efforts and the overwhelming sight of the literal toy mountain we had brought with us. So many were pleased to hear about our Toy Drive and merrily wished us happy holidays, with some vowing to look out for and participate in next year’s efforts.
Finally, with our hearts full and our vehicles empty, we left Dufferin Mall and headed back to the store. We were so happy to help bring joy to so many kids in need at Christmas. CAFE is so grateful to be a part of the community and in turn, we are always excited to step in and do our part for those in need around us.
