For the third year running, Dana Matheson and his team at C&D Logistics built its own toy mountain in their office to help kids in need across the Lower Mainland.
Matheson admits the growing success of this “little undertaking” might force him to find a bigger office next year.
It started, he told the Langley Advance, as “a fun little thing to get people engaged.”
With the offer of matching all donations received, Matheson put the word out on Facebook, shared the idea with staff, customers, and friends and simply asked people to donate new toys to the Salvation Army through the Toy Mountain event held at Guildford Shopping Centre – which for 2016, happened today (Thursday, Dec. 8).
The first year, admittedly, Matheson said there wasn’t a lot of toys. The second year, the volume tripled.
“It seems to get a little bit more steam ever year. It’s good,” he said.
This year, collecting for about two and a half weeks, they about doubled again last year mountain of toys. He said it’s spread to more than just friends, staff, and customers. There are complete strangers learning of the drive, and wanting to participate.
“We put it out to anyone,” he said, hoping to entice people who might not otherwise typically donate to give through the Toy Mountain drive.
Today, with the help of his family, they delivering three trucks full of toys.
“I’d say we had $5,000 worth of toys, easy,” he said, excited to share this moment with his family this year.
In past, his wife and kids always helped behind the scenes, going shopping to match the public donations. But this year, his wife, Laurel, and their kids (eight-year-old Colton and five-year-old Chloe) were awake at 4:30 a.m. and were at the mall by 5:30 a.m. to be the first to donate.
He described it as a great learning moment for his kids, being part of the toy drive and seeing the mountain grow at the mall as so many people join in to help make Christmas possible for children from less fortunate families.
Still beaming about this year’s success, Matheson told the Advance that he’s hoping to once again double the donation for Christmas 2017.
Matheson was the chamber’s 2015 young entrepreneur of the year, and this year he was selected as the medium-sized business of the year.
