Jessica Rodrigues smiled as she reminisced about childhood Christmas memories.
“I used to get these kinds of donation boxes when I was a kid, so those used to make my day when they would come and drop it off,” she said. “It would make my mom happy that we would get those presents and, you know, see a smile on our face.”
As an adult, Rodrigues helped organize her Early Childhood Studies program’s second annual toy drive at the University of Guelph-Humber.
She said this year’s toy drive donations will go to Ernestine’s Women's Shelter.
Samantha Doerksen, a child and youth counsellor at Ernestine’s, said she appreciates toy donations during the holiday season.
Moving into a shelter is “a very vulnerable time,” and donations can help a child’s sense of security, respect, and dignity, she said.
“Often when kids come in, you see, kind of like, nervous system dysregulation that plays out in a lot of different ways for kids,” Doerksen said.
Children often work through their experiences through play, she said.
“It can also make you feel valued in the world and make you feel like people are acknowledging your importance in the world, and that can also bring a sense of, like, confidence,” Doerksen said.
Rodrigues said when she was a child, she was grateful no matter the gift.
“Even just the toothpaste, honestly. It used to be, like, candy-flavoured, and I used to like that,” she said.
“I think that’s something people might not realize, that children will be, like, happy and appreciative for anything that they’re given, especially if they’re usually not given that,” Rodrigues said.
Zoe Collat, also in Early Childhood Studies, said she helped with the first toy drive last year.
She said she remembered some of the donations, like Play-Doh or a Rainbow Loom, from her childhood and how she enjoyed them.
“I can’t wait for a child to open that under the tree one day,” Collat said.
“Squishmallows last year, they donated, which I thought would be a good hit, Lego,” she said. “Yeah, just like some staples in childhood, I think, every kid deserves to have a chance to play with.
Doerksen said she had the “privilege” of personalizing toy donations to each of the children she works with.
“I think that’s really special, and I think it makes children feel loved and like they matter,” she said. “I think it makes parents feel cared for, and important, and dignified to see their child receive not just one toy, but multiple toys that really acknowledge who they are as a child.
“It matters more than the physical item,” she said.
Rodrigues said all the donated gifts she received in childhood stood out to her.
“Even the smallest thing would make even a mom, like, having to see her children open a present, like, really happy,” she said.
New toy donations can be dropped off until Dec. 20 at the ECS Resource Centre in Room 318 or the ECS Office in Room 308, Rodrigues said.
Collat said the toy drive is a “great chance to give back.”
She glanced at the toy donation bin on her right.
“I know everyone’s financial situation is different, but a small toy can go a long way,” she said. “Some children don’t get that, and I think every child deserves to have a Christmas.”
