MCAP strongly believes in giving back to the communities we serve. Earlier this year, we asked MCAP homeowners to share how they give back to their community in a meaningful or charitable way.
MCAP Homeowners’ Story
My wife and I host a Christmas party every year around the holiday season. We adopt a family through Holiday Helpers and try to give a less fortunate family a good Christmas. We post the family’s wish list on our event invitation, and our guests purchase the items and bring them to the party. We then purchase the remaining items from the family’s wish list. After we have gathered everything from the wish list, Holiday Helpers will then deliver the presents on or around Christmas.
Last year we sponsored a family of 5: a single father and his four children. They had recently lost their mother/wife to illness. You would think the kids would only be asking for toys for Christmas. But when you see winter jackets, mittens, winter boots and bed sheets on their list, you understand this isn't just about Christmas for them. It’s about surviving and trying to find some normalcy after their loss. Thanks to all our amazing family and friends, we collected over $4,000 worth of gifts for the family. At the end of the day, the dollar value doesn't matter. What matters is that their wish list was completed in full.
We have been doing it for 4 years—2019 will be our 5th! It has grown from 25 people in attendance to over 100 people last year. We hope this year will be even bigger and we can contribute to another family to have a wonderful holiday season.
We do this every year because we want our young daughters to understand that there are people that are less fortunate and sometimes, they just need a hand. on
More about Holiday Helpers
Holiday Helpers have been bringing holiday joy to families in need for over 20 years. They provide a one-time customized Christmas package to families with young children, who are living in low-income situations. The families they support are often single parent families who have fled abusive relationships, and families who are new to Canada and this is their first Canadian winter.
This year, they are sponsoring 700 families in the Greater Toronto Area, Durham region and Hamilton. Each family sponsored by the program receives a completely personalized Christmas package, which includes a fully decorated artificial tree, a grocery gift card for a warm meal and gifts from their wish list. It’s important for Holiday Helpers to provide items that help with poverty relief, so each person receives a brand new winter coat or snow suit, hats and mitts, warm clothing and household items. They also make sure the kids receive some toys from Santa.
