With seven weeks until Christmas Day, Barrie and District Christmas Cheer has launched its 51st campaign, yet again raising its fundraising goal higher than ever before.
The organization has raised the bar from $450,000 in 2024, which it cleared by $1,200, to $500,000 in 2025. Donations will go to serve around 2,000 families in Barrie, Innisfil, Essa and Oro-Medonte.
President Sandra Yaquo, who works in finance, says the $500,000 increase is necessary to serve the same amount of families this year.
"In general our economy is suffering, so we knew coming into this year there was going to be a significant responsibility on the charity, " she said to Barrie360. "We're just seeing it left, right and centre.
"We started as low as we can, and we know the community will come through; it always does."
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While cash donations are always appreciated by the group, the campaign focus for 2025 is food insecurity, an issue Christmas Cheer says is being experienced by 26 per cent of Simcoe County residents.
Other items the organization are counting on are toys for kids three-years-old or younger, and kids six-years-old and older.
"We're always short on [those items]," Yaquo says. "I think shoppers just don't think of shopping for them. They're into the Barbies, they're into the cars... seven, eight, nine, and 10 (year olds) are our hardest to race for every year."
There are already many items set to be distributed this season at "Santa's Workshop," the warehouse affectionately named by the volunteers. And what was seen on Thursday at the campaign's launch is nothing like what it will look like by mid-December.
"It's sort of organized chaos," said warehouse lead Diana Brinkos. "One side is toys and one side is food, and we just try to maximize the space as much as we can in a safe manner for all of our volunteers."
As of Thursday, Christmas Cheer has 56 drop-off locations in Barrie, two in Innisfil, and one in Oro-Medonte. More are set to pop up throughout the region, including in Angus. But a huge chunk of what gets donated from schools.
"We are very, very fortunate to get a lot of food from the schools, Brinkos adds. "They are wonderful at collecting food to help out with the community."
Volunteers will also have a presence in Barrie's Santa Claus Parade on Saturday.
"This is a community run organization run by the community for the community. Every single dollar you put towards Christmas Cheer is going directly into the hands of our recipients."
