In 1999, I got my first solo apartment and spent all my time in Canadian Tire buying things to fix it up. I decided to take my well-earned Canadian Tire Money {CTM} and buy myself a special Christmas present, but living in downtown Toronto makes you see a lot of things. I decided I was pretty lucky to have a home and food for supper, so I decided to use my Money for something else. I bought three really great toys and donated them to a toy drive.
The next year I wanted to do the same thing, but I didn't have enough CTM, so I asked my friends to give me any they had. I collected $100.00! The great people at Canadian Tire made that into $200.00 in toys.
I was hooked!
Since that first Christmas, we have donated tens of thousands of dollars worth of toys to women's shelters and other relief agencies throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
Each year, we collect CTM from people across Canada. The generous people at Canadian Tire, Leslie & Shepard (North York), match our donation cent for cent and give us generous discounts on all prices. We collect shopping lists directly from the children's agencies, so we know the children will get toys that are age and gender appropriate. All toys purchased are in the $20-$25 range, and encourage creativity and cooperative play.
If you would like to send in your CTM to add to the pile, we would love it! Everybody has a little CTM lying around. It doesn't really cost you a thing! Donations can be sent any time of the year to the address below. It doesn't matter if it's 5 cents or $50.00, it all adds up!
Canadian Tire Money Toy Drive
c/o St. John's York Mills Dr.
19 Don Ridge Dr,
Toronto, ON
M2P 1H3
This project is now fully supported by volunteers from St. John's York Mills Anglican Church.
Any questions can be directed to the church office at 416-225-6611.
