When Terry Pearson of LIDA Construction pulled up to the Mustard Seed Distribution Centre loading dock, it wasn’t to drop off tools. Instead, his truck bed carried a colourful pile of toys, marking the company’s third year participating in an annual toy drive.
“I'm a person of service, so I like helping wherever I can,” said the vice-president of construction operations. “We reach out to our community, trade partners, suppliers, teammates, family, clients, and anyone who wanted to help and donate to a good cause [for] families in need.”
After learning about Mustard Seed’s charity work from a friend, Pearson reached out to Janice James, the organization’s manager of community relations, to explore ways to contribute.
“They've been really good partners with us,” said James. “In the summer they gather runners, backpacks, and things that kids would wear to go back to school and then at Christmas time, they do the toy drive.”
James estimated that Pearson brought nearly 150 toys this year, all destined for children of families in need.
After the toys were unloaded into a wire bin, James explained that workers and volunteers would carefully sort them and subsequently paired with one of the 1,200 Christmas hampers set to be delivered during the holiday season.
Although LIDA Construction has made the toy drive a yearly tradition, James encourages everyone with the means to contribute to a good cause.
New and unwrapped toys, food, goods, and money can all be dropped off at their headquarters located at 625 Queens Ave. Otherwise, monetary donations can also be made via the Mustard Seed’s website at mustardseed.ca
