Dozens of donated toys not delivered to families will be held until next Christmas

Dozens of toys donated to the Salvation Army’s annual Toy Mountain campaign didn’t make it under the trees of local families in need this holiday, after a bin was not emptied in time.

As of Tuesday morning, the donation bin at Promenade Shopping Centre in Thornhill was still overflowing with new toys meant to ensure deserving children had a gift to unwrap on Christmas morning.

“In some cases, where donations to The Salvation Army are received or picked up after Christmas, toys are carried over to the following year,” Public Relations Officer Erin Boyle with the Salvation Army Ontario Division told CityNews in a statement.

Boyle added the late pick-ups are important for distribution to families in the early part of the next holiday season when local toy drives are just beginning.

The Salvation Army says toys dropped off at major malls were picked up regularly so that they could be sorted and distributed as quickly as possible. Boyle said the bin at Promenade had been emptied once before on Dec. 20, but volunteers were unable to get back before Christmas.

“We anticipated that there would be additional donations to be picked up, as individuals across the GTA made their final trips to shopping centres and malls that weekend,” Boyle said.

“With hundreds of donations being received at locations across the GTA on the final days prior to Christmas, the Salvation Army’s toy pickup team didn’t make it back to this specific location.”

CityNews went to two other locations that were listed as collection points for toys, but the displays were already taken down for the year and there no lingering toys.

Toys donated to Toy Mountain are distributed to communities across the GTHA, and the Salvation Army said over 71,000 children received a present through this year’s drive.

A recent Salvation Army poll showed just how tough times were this holiday season, with 25 per cent of Canadians reporting they’re extremely concerned about having enough income to cover their basic needs amid the increasing cost of living.

With files from Nick Westoll.