From the beginning of the planning process to the eventual cancellation of Toys for Tots Drive Thru, nothing could have prepared us for this year. Planning an event during a pandemic is not for the faint of heart! Knowing that the event was a huge driving force in making Christmas possible for 1,500 children was all the motivation we needed to continue to adjust the plans as guidelines changed. It was this fact that united the volunteers, sponsors, partners, and community.
Read More›With many events cancelled and toy donations down, we need your help more than ever! Giving every family the opportunity to experience the joy of Christmas is the goal of the Abbotsford Archway Christmas Bureau program – will you help to make that happen by donating a toy this year?
Read More›We are so thankful to be able to continue the tradition of kicking off the Holiday season in the true spirit of Christmas at the re-imagined Toys for Tots Drive-Thru – hosted by Clarion Hotel (formerly Quality Hotel) on November 27th from 7:00 am-10:00 am. No one could have predicted how different this year would be. That’s why the return of sponsors, partners and community support and means so much more!
Read More›by Rebecca Thuro
(3 minute read)
Every year we enter the Christmas season with some loose ends that need a touch of the miraculous. This year we needed a building to host the Christmas Bureau toy room and a way to raise $1.2 million by December 31st. Feeding 3,300 people doesn’t get easier at Christmas. It requires even more engagement from our community. And that is just what we found.
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Can we pass you a virtual Kleenex? When you give to Archway Food Bank, you are making a difference in the lives of people like Erica.
Read More›The 7th year of Quality Hotel’s Christmas Breakfast was another wonderful year of seeing the community respond with care for children in need at Christmas. We are happy to announce that together we raised over $42,200 and 1,786 toys for the Abbotsford Christmas Bureau. During the event this year, I came upon one person who had tears in their eyes saying, “I can hardly believe how many people woke up this early to make a difference for a child at Christmas, I’m tearing up.” The Christmas spirit was strong, the joy in the faces of the attendees was evident.
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by Candace Stock
(3 minute read)
It’s that time of year – wreathes and lights are going up, presents are being bought, families are planning their gatherings. Unfortunately for some, this time of year can be filled with fear of survival of the holiday. When the stress of being able to put food on the table already exists, gifts under the tree seem out of reach. Thankfully, with the help of our community, we are able to change that for many families.
Read More›You are invited to our 7th Annual Toys for Tots Christmas Breakfast! We can hardly believe that it’s sneaking up in less than a month! We’ve been excitedly preparing all the details for Friday morning, November 22nd between 6am-9:30am. Have you been to the event before? It’s the best way to kick off the Holiday season (if we do say so ourselves😊).
Read More›Wow, another successful year! We define success, in large part, by the stories of gratitude that have been shared with us by both those who have been helped and those who have been able to extend help this Christmas. And guess what, we have SO MANY STORIES this year. Each year we face different challenges to make the Abbotsford Christmas Bureau a reality. This year was no different, from the loss of a distribution location to medical emergencies – the start of this season was a little shaky.
Read More›With the help of our community and caring staff we are able to bring Christmas to those who may otherwise go without. It’s such an honour to be able to be a part of helping our community.
Read More›We are so thankful to all the people who were able to sponsor families and seniors this Christmas. Here are just a few of the Sponsor’s stories.
Read More›Here is the impact the Christmas Bureau and the participating sponsors had on Seniors.
Read More›Here is Abbotsford Food Bank’s 2018 Holiday hours.
Thanks so much for thinking of us during this season!
Christmas is a season full of hope, joy and wonder. It represents time spent with family, friends and the opportunity to spoil those we love the most. But for many in our community, it can also be difficult – especially if you have trouble putting food on the table. Thankfully, a gift to the Abbotsford Food Bank & Christmas Bureau can change that.
Read More›(7 min read)
By Rebecca Thuro
The magical feeling of Christmas was tangible during the 2018 Toys for Tots Christmas Breakfast. As the event organizer, each year during the planning process I have the little voice that says “what if there isn’t enough this year”. I’d imagine this is the question many hold in their hearts as they enter the holiday season. For families that use the Christmas Bureau not having enough isn’t just a fear, it’s a reality. Thankfully, I am so happy to announce that because of the big heartedness of our community we will once again be able to fully support each family that needs to turn to the Christmas Bureau.
Read More›(2-Minute Read) By Meghan Franklin
Our 6th Annual Toys for Tots Christmas Breakfast is just around the corner, and we can’t wait! We have been excitedly preparing and planning for Friday, November 23rd. If you have never attended one of these events, you are in for a treat! Toys for Tots Christmas Breakfast is a fun family friendly event that kicks off the Christmas season. Join us anytime from 6:00 am to 9:30 am at the Quality Hotel for a delicious hot breakfast, crafts, photo booth, a visit with Santa, live Christmas carols and local entertainment brought to us by Sevenoaks Shopping Centre. Everyone is invited to participate. All we ask is that you bring a new toy for any age or a monetary donation to the event to benefit the Abbotsford Christmas Bureau and Food Bank.
Read More›Another Christmas is wrapped up and we wanted to say thank you to all who helped make this year another success! Whether you gave in time, money, service or all the above, it made a difference and we are so thankful. We know that many of you do not give out of excess, but rather make sacrifices in order to make giving to the Christmas Bureau possible and we admire that so much. Watching the community surround us once again is an amazing experience. We are so grateful to be able to witness our community show such love to the families who come to us for help.
Read More›Updated: December 22, 2017
Every once in a while, we need to take a step back and remind ourselves of the good that is happening right under our noses. While the names have been changed to protect our guests, the stories are real. Real families, and real experiences. Their lives may be difficult, but they are made a lot better by our amazing community.
Here are a few of our favourite stories:
Each Christmas, Brenda and her daughter, Chrystie, organize gifts and food for more than a dozen families in Abbotsford. They do it to remember their kids, Coleton and Ryker, both of whom passed away on February 18th—Coleton in 2011, and Ryker in 2016.
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