The Authentic T-Shirt Company®/SanMar Canada Social Committee has notably had great success in supporting hundreds of families throughout the winter holiday season. Below is just one example of the type of impact our social committee makes!
The below was received by the Mississauga Social Committee in response to their Holiday Helpers fundraising efforts.
Thank you for helping us sponsor 382 families!
Holiday Helpers would like to send you a heart-felt thank you for your support of our 2014 Christmas campaign. It was another successful year as we helped 382 families – our largest number to date! This included over 800 young boys and girls whom, without you, may not have celebrated Christmas at all. From some of the thank you letters we received from the families, we know they all celebrated the season with excitement and huge smiles!
As you can imagine providing a customized Christmas package to 382 families is no small feat. It requires hundreds of supporters like you to provide presents and monetary donations so that we can give each family a decorated artificial tree, a $100 grocery gift card, and personalized presents for each family member including toys, warm clothing, and household items. With yet another very cold winter, the winter jackets, hats, and mitts and warm boots they received were absolutely essential. It takes over 700 volunteers to sort, wrap and package each gift. It takes yet another 300 volunteers to deliver each package to the homes of our families throughout the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).
Many families have fled domestic abuse or are new to the country and have very few possessions. For some, the Christmas tree and decorations are the first they’ve ever owned. All the families are very low income and without your support, they likely would not have celebrated the season with all the trimmings and the generous gifts under the tree.
We would like to give a special thank you to our Premier Corporate Partner, Mosaic Sales Solutions. This year Mosaic Sales Solutions donated a total of $17,500 and over 150 volunteers to help wrap and deliver presents. Additional thank you to our Gold Sponsors: Kinross Gold Corporation and Travelers Canada; our Silver Sponsors: National Bank Correspondent Network, Rodair International Ltd, Barrick Gold, HD Supply Construction & Industrial, PearceWellwood Inc, Davies Howe Partners LLP, and our Bronze Sponsors: Ellisdon Corporation, The Walt Disney Company of Canada, Worldlynx Wireless and the Toronto Raptors. Thank you!
We also had many corporate supporters who donated goods and their services and without their help we would not have been able to carry out our services: Atripco, Canada Waste Management, Dawson Logistics, Effective Logistical Solutions, Global Warehousing, JD Smith & Sons, Kendrew Distribution Services, Maclaser Printing, Maisliner, Manitoulin Group, Meyers Transport, T&T Trucking, Tremco Canada and West Metro Express.
Each year, we ask the families in our program to write a letter telling us about their Christmas. We receive letters from approximately 60% of our families. Please be assured that if you don’t receive a letter from your sponsored family it is not because they are ungrateful for the generous donation. Language barriers or family situations may make it difficult for them to submit a letter. We have included a few letters from families who have expressed their thanks. Please note that these letters may not be from the specific family you sponsored but we will do our best to send you their letter by email if/when it comes in.
Warmest regards and all the best in 2015!
April and Sarah Rutka
Founders, Holiday Helpers Canada
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