Toy donations needed for Christmas breakfast

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/12/2022 (183 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Ukrainian National Federation and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress will host a Christmas breakfast for newly-arrived Ukrainian children and their families on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 at the UNF Hall, 935 Main St.

Donations of new, unwrapped toys are being collected for children aged three to 14 years old.

Ukrainian refugee families will be pre-registered for this event, and two sittings will take place at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m., each sitting consisting of 200 people. Each guest will receive a pancake breakfast, and children will also be treated to a visit from Santa Claus, bearing a gift for each child 14 and under.

This year, the UNF has registered more than 2,600 families who have arrived in Winnipeg, fleeing the Russian invasion. With the help of generous Winnipeggers, the UNF has been able to help provide these refugees with food, clothing, furniture and other essentials.

UNF Manitoba president Joanne Lewandowski explained that “there are more than 12,400 Ukrainian citizens who are making Manitoba their new home. These families have seen so much upheaval this year, and at this time of celebration, we want them to know that we care about them and welcome them to Manitoba.”

Event co-chair (and fellow Community Review correspondent) Tony Zerucha says, “the kids and their families have gone through so much turbulence and upheaval over the course of the last nine months or so, and we wanted to bring them a little bit of Christmas, a little bit of normalcy to their lives, and just to welcome them to Winnipeg and to show them that Winnipeggers care.

“Manitobans are known for being very generous folks,” Zerucha said. “We’d love that when they’re out shopping, that they throw an extra toy in the cart and deliver it to us, and we can guarantee you it’ll brighten someone’s Christmas.”

Any extra toys received will be distributed at the UNF Help Centre during the Christmas season to families arriving during the holidays.

Your donation of a new, unwrapped toy can be dropped off at 935 Main St., between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays and on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

“Let us bring them together so they can celebrate and bring their children some joy,” Lewandowski said.

If my readers wish to contact me via email, I will provide an East Kildonan address for toy drop-off, and I will deliver them on your behalf.