The goal, like every year, is to put a smile on the faces of more than 1,500 children and teens across the region, all supported by Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions.
Jasmine Botter may be new as the organization's holiday coordinator, but she knows what getting a gift means for these youngsters, especially this year.
"It shows them the community has their back in a time when we just feel so isolated because of social distancing protocols," says Botter. "It just shows them the community is still here and still cares about them."
Nearly 90 percent of families currently receiving support from Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions struggle to meet their basic financial needs.
Like last year, the organization is asking for monetary donations, and the best way to donate is online.
"So you can stay home, and you can just donate money, and we will do the shopping for you," explains Botter.
Fully-vaccinated volunteers will pack this year's hampers which will then be quarantined for 48 hours, compared to last year's two-week quarantine.
Megan O'Neil has been volunteering with the organization for 14 years, and until last year, opened her home for foster children.
With 16 years of fostering, O'Neil knows firsthand what a single gift can do for a child during the holidays.
"It's so heartwarming to see all these kids have such a fun day," says O'Neil. "Just to be able to let their concerns and their fears and their worries just go for a time and just be a child."
At the southern detachment in Innisfil, South Simcoe Police (SSP) kicked off its 17th campaign with CTV's Toy Mountain.
"We feel a big part that we play out here," says SSP Chief Andrew Fletcher. "We help people in their times of need, and we know there's a lot of families hurting this Christmas season. "
The police service is also asking residents for donations. However, after cancelling its Stuff the Command Post last year because of the pandemic, SSP is bringing back the Stuff the Trailer event later this month.
"We'll have our auxiliaries and our officers with us and just actually meeting and greeting with the community again and encouraging them to support those in need," adds Fletcher.
Tilemaster in Barrie, another longtime supporter of the cause, is also excited to help donate to the cause after seeing its collection bins shelved last year.
"The interaction that you get with people when they're doing something so selfless is so fun," says manager Jason Gill. "Everybody is so excited, so happy to be able to participate just to be able to help people out. It's so amazing," he adds.
Hurricane Ian's most damaging winds began hitting Florida's southwest coast Wednesday, lashing the state with heavy rain and pushing a devastating storm surge after strengthening to the threshold of the most dangerous Category 5 status.
President Vladimir Putin's latest warning that he is ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia amid the war in Ukraine has made a troubling question much more urgent: Is the former KGB spy bluffing?
Canadians continue to play hockey for Kontinental Hockey League teams in Russia and Belarus despite the Canadian government’s warning to get out of those countries.
A five-year-old Hamilton boy battling brain cancer had one request: he wanted to see monsters. Earlier this month, 1,000 strangers made his wish come true.
With Category 4 Hurricane Ian barrelling toward Florida on Wednesday morning, some of the state's popular theme parks. national parks, gardens, and cruise schedules have been closed or impacted.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is calling for more transparency and accountability from telecommunications companies when it comes to collaborating with the province's Emergency Management Office (EMO).
Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King says, although there is still a lot of work to be done before things get back to normal on the island, there has been quite a bit of progress after post-tropical storm Fiona wreaked havoc across the province Saturday.
As scientists and environmental experts assess the damage left by Fiona, one of the Maritimes' essential ecosystems was severely hit and it could potentially take up to a decade to recover.
Outgoing CAQ Immigration Minister Jean Boulet claims the vast majority of immigrants move to Montreal, don't speak French and don't work. Party leader François Legault adds that accepting more than 50,000 immigrants would be 'suicide.'
Polls heading into the final week of the Quebec election campaign show much of the same results since the first week: a race for second behind the CAQ.
Immigration was once again at the forefront of the election campaign on Wednesday, as it was learned that Jean Boulet will no longer be Minister of Immigration if the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) regains power.
Hurricane Ian's most damaging winds began hitting Florida's southwest coast Wednesday, lashing the state with heavy rain and pushing a devastating storm surge after strengthening to the threshold of the most dangerous Category 5 status.
A suspect in a Scarborough shooting has been taken into custody after ditching their car on Highway 401 and running across multiple lanes of traffic, police say.
A five-year-old Hamilton boy battling brain cancer had one request: he wanted to see monsters. Earlier this month, 1,000 strangers made his wish come true.
Hurricane Ian's most damaging winds began hitting Florida's southwest coast Wednesday, lashing the state with heavy rain and pushing a devastating storm surge after strengthening to the threshold of the most dangerous Category 5 status.
London police are investigating after a pedestrian was struck on Wednesday morning. The incident happened around 7 a.m. in the area of Southdale Road and Wellington Road.
OPP have identified the victim of a fatal crash that happened Tuesday in Meaford. Police were called to the scene around 12:20 p.m. on Highway 26 just east of Grey County Road 112 and found a head-on collision between a compact vehicle and a pickup truck.
Sudbury police are asking people to avoid the area of Grandview Boulevard in the New Sudbury area Wednesday morning as officers investigate a disturbance.
Ontario Provincial Police say the shelter in place advisory is isolated to just Wiikwemkoong on Manitoulin Island after emergency and civil alerts sent out across the northeast caused confusion and worry.
A former garage owner in Elliot Lake has been arrested in Sault Ste. Marie, more than a year after he was wanted by police for numerous fraud and theft complaints.
Windsor’s acting chief administrative officer says he made the call for the city to delete a recent live stream of a media announcement regarding the future hospital on County Road 42 over concerns it would become too political.
Alberta police have seized an estimated $55 million in illegal drugs through a cross-border investigation into organized crime, trafficking and money laundering.
A 29-year-old Calgary man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with a summer homicide and police believe additional people played roles in the death.
Saskatchewan experienced its largest quarterly population growth on record in the second quarter of 2022, growing by 6,465 people, the province said in a news release.
A candidate to become the next premier of Alberta has all but abandoned a vaccine lawsuit she collected GoFundMe donations for, and instead she claims to have given roughly $60,000 to the Justice Centre For Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF).
Alberta's provincial court has unveiled a new Indigenous justice strategy after two years of discussions with First Nations and Métis leaders, as well as legal groups.
A settlement has been reached in a human rights complaint filed by an Indigenous man and his granddaughter who were handcuffed by police during a 2019 incident at a Vancouver bank.
A 54-year-old anesthesiologist from a Surrey, B.C., pain clinic has been charged with sexually assaulting a patient, and authorities are asking anyone with "additional information" to come forward.
