Two brothers from Chatham, Ont., donated more than $5,000 worth of toys to The Salvation Army through their community bottle drive last December, bringing joy to children in need at Christmas.

A Happy Wish

“We want to make sure all kids have a wonderful Christmas morning,” says Derek Gore. “Not all parents can afford to buy toys for their kids, so we want to help as much as we can.”

For the past 15 years, Derek and Brett Gore have raised funds for their Kids Without Christmas campaign through various community initiatives, such as participating in walk-a-thons and raffles. Their main focus in recent years has been collecting bottles and cans, depositing them for cash and using the money to purchase gifts for The Salvation Army.

“We like to give back to the community and want to make children’s dreams come true,” says Brett, who learned more about the Army through his volunteer work with the Army’s Christmas kettle program. “Our wish for the children who receive the gifts is that they are happy.”

A Part of Hope

Their enthusiasm and care for the less fortunate is contagious. Nicole Shaw, Chatham-Kent Ministries youth co-ordinator for the past 11 years, says the community generously supports the brothers’ efforts, which have provided more than 5,000 children with brand-new gifts since 2010.

“People know them well, leave bottles in their driveway, and contact them all the time to make donations of bottles and money to buy toys,” says Nicole. “They literally fill their house with boxes of donated toys every year.

“We are so grateful for their generosity and compassion for giving—which is exactly the attitude that makes this whole endeavour the blessing it is for so many,” she continues. “The children who receive the gifts have the biggest smiles on their faces, so we thank the brothers and our community for being a part of that.”

Photo: Nicole Shaw

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