Roughly halfway into the Kiwanis Club of Pembroke’s toy and food drive for 2025, the club has received a significant portion of the toys it will need this year.
That’s according to club member Jay McLaren, who is responsible for coordinating this year’s event.
McLaren said the goal for this year’s fundraiser was to bring in $45,000 in cash donations. He added that he’s not surprised to see monetary donations lagging slightly compared to toys, saying his team anticipated that given the current state of the economy.
So far, according to McLaren, more than $20,000 has been donated. They’re collected at a table outside the Dollar Store at the Pembroke Mall during mall hours.
For anyone interested in donating while the food and toy drive is still ongoing, McLaren encourages residents to donate toys for boys ages seven and up and girls ages eight and up.
The money from the fundraiser will go towards supporting various food insecurity initiatives in the community, including St. Joseph’s Community Food Bank and The Grind charity.
The toy and food drive runs until December 21st.
(Written by Steve Berard)