‘We need your help.’ Keep the spirit of giving alive by donating to the Star’s Santa Claus Fund

Christmas may have come and gone, but the Star is hoping you’re still in the spirit of giving to help support its storied Santa Claus Fund, which is still $160,000 short of its $1.5-million goal.

“We need your help,” pleaded Jordan Bitove, the owner and publisher of the Toronto Star.

Bitove knows first-hand the impact the Star’s Santa Claus Fund has on underprivileged children in Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Ajax and Pickering who receive bright gift boxes filled with clothing, books and personal hygiene kits each year, because he’s delivered some with his daughters, including nine-year-old Ivy.

“When I opened presents on Christmas morning, I felt happy,” Ivy said, acknowledging some of her peers may not have had the same experience on December 25. “When you donate to the Santa Claus Fund, you can make a difference in someone’s life — you can change someone’s life,” she added, her voice full of joy and optimism.

It’s true, and it was true for the Santa Claus Fund and the Star’s long-time publisher Joseph E. Atkinson, who saw his mother struggle to support her eight young children after the passing of her husband.

One Christmas, as the story goes, a young Atkinson watched other children skate on a pond. A lady approached and asked why he wasn’t skating, and when she heard his sad tale, she bought his first pair of skates for Christmas. Atkinson never forgot the warmth and generosity of the stranger who made this Christmas Day the happiest of his childhood, which led to the eventual creation of the Santa Claus Fund.

More than 100 years later, and at a time when our country may seem divided from politics to finances and everything in between, one thing remains certain: there are thousands of children, like young Atkinson, who are going without, Bitove said.

“The Santa Claus Fund has and continues to provide joy,” said Bitove. “When you see the smiles on the children’s faces and hear their screams of delight when they see you deliver those boxes, it sticks with you.”

More than material gifts, the Santa Claus Fund shows children there is someone who cares for them, that there’s someone who will show up at their door when they need help, he said. “There’s a power — a magic — in the initiative, and our goal to send 50,000 underserved kids across the GTA a box is no small feat.”

Or, at this point as the Santa Claus Fund is still $160,000 short of its goal, no small plea for readers to donate.

“To our readers: we need your help. We can’t bring some relief to these children without your generosity and compassion.”

Alessia Passafiume is a GTA-based staff reporter for the Star. Reach Alessia via email: apassafiume@torstar.ca