Skip to content

Success for toy drive

For the fifth year in a row, New Westminster residents have shown how much they care for local kids at the Christmas for Kids toy drive held Wednesday morning at the Paddlewheeler Pub at Westminster Quay.

For the fifth year in a row, New Westminster residents have shown how much they care for local kids at the Christmas for Kids toy drive held Wednesday morning at the Paddlewheeler Pub at Westminster Quay.

With 424 people attending, more than 354 toys and $700 in cash were collected for two local organizations, New Westminster Family Place and the Lower Mainland Purpose Society for Youth and Families.

Everybody who attended with toys or money in hand was treated to a free pancake breakfast and the chance to mingle with local officials, including Mayor Wayne Wright, fire chief Tim Armstrong and police chief Dave Jones.

The event, which started at 7 a.m. and ran for three hours, has been a success each year.

"Our numbers are roughly the same as last year," said outgoing New Westminster Chamber of Commerce executive director David Brennan. "We consider it a huge success, a very, very good event. By 7: 20, the place was full, and it never stopped."

"We're very appreciative of the toys that are donated," said Marjorie Staal, executive director of Family Place. "What I will say about this year is that people put a lot of thought into the toys they were bringing. We saw a lot of old-fashioned games like Scrabble and Monopoly, a lot of puzzles and books. People really gave thoughtful gifts."

The biggest gift, which Staal will have to find a home for, is a five-foot-high stuffed dog.

"It's huge," she said. "That toy must have cost a couple hundred dollars."

The New Westminster Chamber of Commerce, the Paddlewheeler Pub, Westminster Savings Credit Union, the Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Society and The Record sponsor the event. Members of the New Westminster Fire and Rescue Service volunteer their services and act as elves at each year's event.

www.twitter.com/AlfieLau

editorial@royalcityrecord.com