Santa Claus Fund connects people from all over Toronto in the spirit of sharing

When she opened the door to her apartment, the chain was still on.

Her dark eyes peered warily at me and my partner, wearing silly Santa hats, as we stood in the hallway with boxes of presents from the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund.

But once we explained that we had clothes, books and toys for her kids, her hostility melted away and the chain came off. A pair of toddlers scampered out to get their boxes and before we knew it, we were posing for a photo and being invited in for tea.

My partner and I spent years delivering presents for the Santa Claus Fund, trudging through the snow and knocking on countless doors. Sometimes folks were excited to see us. Other times, they just wanted to take the boxes and be left alone. Many times, people simply weren’t home, and we had to return their presents to the depot for another volunteer to try and deliver.

But this door proved to be unlike any other.

Rania was a recently-arrived immigrant from Syria just as the war there was heating up. She was alone in that small apartment with her feisty bespectacled daughter and her quieter younger son. Her husband was in the United Arab Emirates working to support the family because she couldn’t, due to health complications.

She didn’t have many friends. She hadn’t invited anyone into her apartment. The kids kept her busy. But she was lonely.

Despite our obvious differences, we found we had lots in common. We had been trying to have a baby and Rania offered her advice. She had questions about sponsoring her husband to come to Canada and we knew some people who had done it.

Before we finished our deliveries that day, we were already exchanging messages over WhatsApp.

We went back to visit several times, playing with the kids and learning as much about Syria as we were able to share about Canada.

After I mentioned one of these visits to my mother, she insisted on inviting Rania and her children over for a Christmas dinner, where they had their first turkey.

Rania brought orange cake and my mom gave little toys to her kids. We gathered around the table and stuffed ourselves, explaining these strange foods to our new friends.

After that dinner, we drifted away from Rania. I had kids of my own and life got busy. We soon lost touch entirely.

But when Star editor Julie Carl asked me to write a story for the Santa Claus Fund, memories of Rania’s daughter playing under the tablecloth flooded back.

That experience reminded me that beyond making sure 50,000 kids have a present for Christmas, the fund also connects thousands of people from the four corners of our city — often face-to-face — in the spirit of sharing.

So I found Rania’s number and sent a message. My phone pinged back almost immediately. Of course she remembered me, she wrote. She was so happy to hear from us.

We exchanged pictures of our kids (“So cute!”) and caught up on each other’s lives. Then we started reminiscing about that Christmas dinner.

“It was an amazing experience for new Canadians like us,” Rania said when I called her up last week. “We didn’t have any friends to invite us over and life is beautiful with others.”

Her husband has come to Canada and they’ve had another child.

Rania told me that after our dinner, her daughter asked for turkey the next year and she dispatched her husband to Costco to find one. While wandering through the aisles, he was approached by another shopper who, when she learned that they were about to attempt their first turkey dinner, insisted he take her number so she could talk Rania through the process.

The resulting video call was a disaster as Rania didn’t have a roasting pan large enough for the turkey. Soon, the friendly shopper had come over and was in the kitchen with her own pans and dishes to make sure everything was done right.

The kids got their turkey dinner and Rania has continued the tradition ever since.

“I always think of your mom when I make turkey,” she told me. “And I want to return the favour.”

Christmas is still some time off, but you can never have too much turkey. So along with my mom, we’ll be heading back to knock on that same apartment door soon, for a sumptuous feast together.

Please consider making a donation to the Star’s Santa Claus Fund, if you’re able, to ensure other families like Rania’s are able to make a connection this holiday season.

If you have been touched by the Santa Claus Fund or have a story to tell, please email santaclausfund@thestar.ca

Marco Chown Oved is a Toronto-based reporter covering climate change for the Star. Reach him via email: moved@thestar.ca

GOAL: $1.5 million

TO DATE: $130,941

How to donate

With your gift, you can help provide holiday gift boxes that inspire hope and joy to 50,000 underprivileged children.

Online: To donate by Visa, Mastercard or Amex, scan this QR code or use our secure form at thestar.com/santaclausfund

By cheque: Mail to The Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund, One Yonge St., Toronto, ON M5E 1E6

By phone: Call 416-869-4847

The Star does not authorize anyone to solicit on its behalf. Tax receipts will be issued.

To volunteer: scfvolunteer@thestar.ca