It's Toy Mountain time for 20,000 Ottawa kids

Thanks to Toy Mountain sponsors, listed on the wall hanging above, thousands of kids of qualified families received bags of new toys, four or five per bag, to brighten up their seasonal celebrations. 

It’s simple, children of qualified families, all the way up to 12-years-of-age, are eligible for Toy Mountain toys. (See the bottom of this posting for more about qualifying.)

At Toy Mountain’s Sparks Street headquarters, about 40 volunteers a day – spread out over 18 days, helped out by sorting the toys by age, and gender; and by filling the large blue gift bags with all sorts of toys, puzzles, games, stuffed animals and the like.

This wagon full of toys, is one of several, whose overflowing bags of gifts were gathered and donated by Ottawa’s Fire Fighters Association. The delivery of the toys on Dec. 7 by the firefighters, to the Toy Mountain Sparks Street headquarters (space donated by Morguard Investments), is a major highlight of the annual Toy Mountain event.

Ottawa CTV news anchor, Graham Richardson, interviews Salvation Army Capt. Tony Brushett on Dec. 7, at Toy Mountain’s headquarters. The Army’s Ottawa Booth Centre, which provides most of the logistical support to the annual Toy Mountain function, has been a proud partner of the event for more than 20 years.

Several members of the Fire Fighters Association paused at the Toy Mountain Centre for photos after delivering their wagons full of toy booty to the Sparks Street venue.

It takes more than these elves at Toy Mountain headquarters to organize this annual function aimed at adding cheer and joy to 20,000 Ottawa kids’ December celebrations. The Ottawa Booth Centre of the Salvation Army thanks its fellow sponsors, the hundreds of volunteers who come out every year and everyone else who contributes time or money to this festive event. To all of you, many thanks for making a difference in a child’s life.

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Qualifying: If you are on Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program, your worker can register you for Toy Mountain until (Dec. 20). If not, then please call 2-1-1. They too can register you until Dec. 20, or direct you to one of the city’s Community Resource Centres, or simply tell you the best place for you to register. Once your registration is completed, 211 will provide you with a Confirmation Number and toy pick up appointment date and time. Toy pick up is at 350 Sparks Street.

If you have applied for toys and are unable to keep your appointment, there is no need to re-schedule. You can visit the Toy Centre at any time after your scheduled appointment date until Dec. 23 at noon, the last day for Toy pick-ups, and for this year's Toy Mountain program.