As of today, there's fewer than three weeks till Christmas arrives.
As the clock counts down, the urgency increases for the Burnaby Christmas Bureau as they work to raise funds and collect toy donations to help low-income city families for the holidays.
Organizers say one easy way for the public to get involved in these last few weeks is by taking part in the Angel Project program.
The program sees groups or businesses hang Angel Cards on a tree or displayed on a wall; each card has the gender and age of a typical child registered with the bureau listed on it. Staff and visitors can then choose a card, purchase a gift that fits the description on the card and return the gift to that location.
The toy donations are then rounded up and brought to the bureau, where they'll ultimately get picked up by parents and make their way under a tree for a child on Christmas Day.
Kristen Robb with the bureau notes that there are a number of locations around the city that have Angel Cards on display now, including: all Burnaby Scotiabank locations, Staccato Studios at 4663 E. Hastings, G & F Financial at 105 - 4191 Hastings, and CIBC at 4101 E. Hastings.
Toy donations can also be dropped off directly at the Burnaby Christmas Bureau's temporary toy room location, set up now in Brentwood Town CO Centre.
WAYS TO HELP
? Financial donations: donate online at the bureau's website at burnabycom munityconnections.com; donate by credit card by phone at 604-299-5778; drop off a cash or cheque donation at the bureau's new temporary location at Brentwood Town Centre.
? Sponsor a family: the Burnaby Christmas Bureau matches families with a group that provide them with a food hamper and gifts. These groups can include companies, religious groups, school groups, families, or individuals.
The sponsor has direct contact with the family.To find out more about registering or helping the bureau, see www.burnaby communityconnections.com.
? Seniors' hampers: the bureau also runs a program to match low-income seniors with sponsors who then deliver a food hamper before Christmas. Recent years have seen a jump in the number of seniors being helped by the bureau.
FILL THE POD WITH TOYS
Next weekend, the second annual POD Challenge will take place at Canlan Ice Sports 8Rinks at 6501 Sprott St.
The Christmas skate and toy drive will see a PODS storage and moving container out on the ice, with the challenge to participants to fill it up with toy donations for the bureau. Admission is a new unwrapped toy.
Event runs Dec. 9 from 1 to 2: 15 p.m.
HISTORY HELPS
Don't forget to enjoy a trip down memory lane with the fundraising night at Burnaby Village Museum. As part of the museum's annual heritage Christmas, one night has been set aside to help the bureau.
On Dec. 15, all proceeds from the carousel will go to the bureau - admission is still free as part of the ongoing celebrations of last year's 40th anniversary.
MAKE A TOY DONATION
Want to make a toy donation but not sure what to get? The bureau has a list of suggestions, by age, to help donors with finding the right thing. The NOW is publishing that list in today's edition - see our special Christmas section starting on page 13. The bureau often has a shortfall of gifts for teens and older children.
