You can make a big difference in the life of a child or teen just by picking up one extra gift in your holiday shopping and dropping it off in the eighth annual 911 We Care Toy Drive.
Coquitlam RCMP's 911 dispatch operators started the annual event in 2009. At the time, it was a way for the staff members to add a positive side to their work, which usually finds the operators talking to people in some of their darkest moments.
The initiative quickly took hold and the gifts have poured in. Since 2009, more than 3,000 gifts have been donated to the 911 We Care Toy Drive and then trucked over to Share Family and Community Services for distribution and keeping the holiday spirit alive in the Tri-Cities.
Last year, more than 400 toys, gift cards and movie ticket packages were delivered to Share and the group is hoping to add even more this year.
"While you're out Christmas shopping over the next few weeks, please consider picking up something extra to donate," said Jill Van Os, a 911 We Care co-ordinator, in a press release. "With your help, we can make Christmas morning a little brighter for kids in our community."
To donate, bring a new, unwrapped toy or gift for a child or teen aged birth to 17 years to the Coquitlam RCMP detachment at 2986 Guildford Way or to a community police station in Coquitlam or Port Coquitlam.
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