North End Christmas party exceeds toy drive goal with $6,000 donation from Metis Federation

Organizers of the annual North End Community Christmas Party have exceeded their goal to collect toys for 400 kids with a $6,000 donation from the Manitoba Metis Federation.

Friday morning, Manitoba Metis Federation president David Chartrand presented a $6,000 cheque to North End Community Christmas Party organizers Kyle Mason and Colleen Epp.

The donation means every child registered to attend the Christmas party will leave with a brand-new toy, said event organizer Kyle Mason.

"The toy donation was a bit slow coming in, and then we were watching the calendar pass and get closer to the event and things were starting to get a little concerning," said Mason.

"That being said, I always knew Manitobans would always step up and make things happen, and that was the case yesterday, where we got a really large and generous donation."

The annual Christmas party is scheduled for Dec. 4 at St. John's Cathedral, and community leaders said earlier this week they were still short upwards of 300 toys.

Mason said organizers were exploring the possibility of scaling back the event.

"We were initially looking at maybe not every kid getting a toy, andtrying to maybe cut back on what we're going to serve as the meal, and so on and so on. And now we can do the original vision as planned," he said.

There are 450 kids registered for the party and more than 600 people are expected to attend the event, which will have a full Christmas program that includes ameal, music, games and a visit from Santa.

Mason said organizers will make sure any toys remaining after the event go to other children in the community.

"All the money and all the toys are going to stay in the North End," he said. "If we have any toys left over after our party is over, we have already selected a couple North End organizations, and then we're going to take the remaining toys down to them."

Mason said the event is especially important this year, after adifficult few months for the community with the stabbing death of a toddlerand tying the record number ofhomicides in the city this year.

"It's been a very difficult year for the community," he said. "There's also a drug crisis happening in our community as well, so it's been a hard year for a lot of people.

"So we just want to make sure at the very least people have a good Christmas."

• North End Family Centre will close next month due to funding issues

Many of those in need are single parents who can barely make ends meet, Mason said.

"Christmas can be a stressful time of year for a lot of families, a reminder that things are tough."

Organizers were asking for new and unwrapped toys of no more than a $15 value for boys and girls up to15 years old.

For nine years, the North End Family Centre held an annual community Christmas party.

Last year, after the centre's closure,Mason, its founder, started the newly named North End Community Christmas Party to continue the annual tradition.