Drop off toys, donations at Richmond Christmas Fund Drive-Thru
The effort to ensure a festive holiday for local families in need will rev into high gear Thursday, with the second annual Richmond Christmas Fund Drive-Thru.
A huge team of volunteers will descend on the parking area next to the Canada Line station at Lansdowne Centre mall on Thursday morning, where commuters or transit riders can simply stroll by, or drive through to drop off cash, unwrapped toys, or children’s books.
The effort kicks off at 6 a.m., with volunteers on site until noon to collect the donated items.
More than 2,500 locals are helped each year with grocery vouchers, toys and books.
“Help us help others and ensure those in need have a special Christmas this year,” said Volunteer Richmond executive director Elizabeth Specht. “Together we can make a difference.”
QMFM will be broadcasting live from the site, and coffee and muffins will be served to those who want to come by, or stay for a while to chat.
“Thursday is supposed to be a very very rainy day, but we’ll be there with bells on,” Specht said. “And it is always a great day to donate and make a difference in our community.”
This Friday, another fundraiser for the Richmond Christmas Fund will be held at the Continental Seafood Restaurant, 11700 Cambie Rd.
The first annual dinner and dance will feature live entertainment from WAGER—formerly the R&B Allstars—and a 10-course dinner, with prizes and a 50/50 draw. Tickets are $50 and available by calling 1-800-663-4080, or e-mailing summityvr@summitcb.com
According to Volunteer Richmond, the Richmond Christmas Fund program “mobilizes the community’s spirit of giving, through monetary donations and donations of new toys and other gifts for needy families.”
The Richmond Christmas Fund took on its current name in 1985 but has been operating in Richmond since the Great Depression when Ethel Tibbits, The Richmond Review’s editor of the time, began running the fund in 1932.
The Richmond Christmas Fund Society operated as a separate non-profit society from 1981 to 2002, when it became a program of Volunteer Richmond Information Services.
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