Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

B100 TOY HOUSES

B100 Toy House Campaign collecting new, unwrapped toys for Christmas Amalgamated

Dec 4, 2024 | 7:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Toys and gifts are a significant part of what Christmas Amalgamated does every year, and the B100 Toy House Campaign keeps the shelves stocked with toys for every demographic.

This year’s campaign is already underway, with the wooden toy house displays set up in malls and stores around Kamloops.

Kayla Derkach with the B100 Kamloops team says they’re little houses that make a big impact.

“It’s all about supporting the families in need here in our community who are just going through a bit of a tough time this holiday season,” she says, adding that each year, the effort rakes in hundreds of toys for Christmas Amalgamated.

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“When you bring a new, unwrapped toy, you can just pop it in, right in the top here, and basically you’ve done the job.”

Christmas Amalgamated provides nearly 6,000 families with holiday meal hampers, gifts and toys. Coordinator Sally Whitson says the Toy House Campaign is a large part of how the non-profit is able to get help to each family that registers with them.

“It does give a much better selection through the season. It comes from the toy houses,” adds Whitson.

The Toy House donations also provide Whitson and the rest of the volunteers gifting options for demographics that typically don’t have as many items to choose from.

“The nine-to-12-year-old girls (category), items for hobbies or crafts, for the older ones — makeup and the fancies that the kids like. And then there’s boys, basically of all ages,” says Whitson. “We had a really hard time getting people to buy things for boys but we’re starting to get more, so we are doing a lot better with that than we ever did.”

New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at any of the eight locations taking part this year, until December 19.

“I think the collection day is my favourite part,” adds Derkach. “Being able to grab the toys, bring them to Sally and Christmas Amalgamated, and just to see how much effort and community this community provides to each other.”

Toy House locations for 2024 include:

• Aberdeen Mall
• Aberdeen Canadian Tire
• Sahali Mall
• Sahali Save-On-Foods
• Kamloops Kia
• Kamloops Fix It Auto
• North Hills Mall
• Kamloops Ford Lincoln