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Burnaby Christmas Bureau needs sponsors to step up

By matching with a local family, you can help in a more personal way
Christmas Bureau
Help stock those shelves. The Burnaby Christmas Bureau relies on donations of cash and toys from the community, and on Thursday, Dec. 5, Scotiabank, Burnaby firefighters and the Hilton are teaming up to host a pancake breakfast to collection donations for the bureau.

The 2019 Burnaby Christmas Bureau is in full swing, collecting donations and finding people in the community who need help. But the team running the annual effort is having a hard time finding enough people willing to go the extra mile to sponsor a family. 

Sponsors are connected with a family and have the opportunity to speak with the parent or parents to learn what their child or children want for Christmas. They can also find out where the family buys groceries before buying them a gift card, and some families buy something for the parent(s) as well, explained advocacy sales manager MJ Buck. 

“It is a bit more personal than dropping off a gift at the toy room,” Buck said in an email. 

The bureau has already matched 46 families with sponsors, but 35 families remain unmatched, she said. 

“The recipients are people that are struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, let alone think of Christmas gifts,” she said. “Often, the families are new to Canada and their asks are very humble: socks, underwear, warm blankets, etc.”

Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor can contact Buck by email: mj@bbyservices.ca.