TORONTO (November 23, 2018) – As anticipation builds for the holiday season, CTV Toronto is hard at work collecting a mountain of toys for families as the 23rd annual TOY MOUNTAIN campaign in support of The Salvation Army starts today. CTV Toronto kicks off this year’s campaign with a festive live broadcast from Yonge-Dundas Square tonight at 6 p.m. ET, and delivers live TOY MOUNTAIN donation updates nightly through Thursday, Dec. 20.
The annual charitable toy collection proudly marks more than two decades of helping make the season brighter for thousands of children across the GTA. TOY MOUNTAIN hopes to surpass last year’s total of 150,000 new unwrapped toys, and encourages Torontonians to embrace the spirit of the holidays by donating generously to all age groups, with an emphasis on the greatest area of need: girls aged 7-9, and youth aged 10-17.
CTV Toronto Weather Anchor Tom Brown proudly leads the TOY MOUNTAIN collection effort for the 14th consecutive year, delivering live progress updates throughout the duration of the campaign on CTV NEWS AT SIX, Toronto’s most-watched evening news broadcast.
“TOY MOUNTAIN is my favourite event of the holiday season and I’m honoured to be a part of the magic once again,” said Brown. “The mountain of toys donated to this campaign gets bigger each and every year, and it’s all thanks to the unbelievable generosity of our viewers in our community.”
Viewers can track the location of daily events by visiting the TOY MOUNTAIN campaign calendar, and by tuning in to CTV Toronto to catch Brown’s daily reports live from various collection stops across the GTA. Brown brings the TOY MOUNTAIN campaign to a close on Thursday, Dec. 20 with a live report from the CTV Toronto studio on CTV NEWS AT SIX.
TOY MOUNTAIN’s dedicated online portal features a list of drop-off locations, a live-on-location broadcast calendar, social media updates, and more. Supporters are able to make financial donations online and receive a tax receipt from The Salvation Army. Social media updates from the campaign are available on the official TOY MOUNTAIN Twitter and Facebook pages. Corporations and individuals can get involved with TOY MOUNTAIN by visiting SalvationArmy.ca or calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
The annual TOY MOUNTAIN campaign is upheld by the strong and longstanding partnership between CTV Toronto and The Salvation Army, with CTV Toronto driving promotional efforts, and The Salvation Army leading collection and distribution logistics. The TOY MOUNTAIN campaign is made possible with the generous support of major sponsors Toronto Area Ford Dealers and Marshalls Canada.
“Every year thousands of families come to The Salvation Army during the Christmas season for a little extra help – many of these families would not be able to receive this help without the generosity of the community and our partners,” said Neil W. Leduke, Divisional Director of Marketing and Communications, The Salvation Army. “For over 22 years, The Salvation Army and CTV Toronto have joined together to raise awareness of poverty in the city. CTV is a wonderful support to The Salvation Army and we are very grateful for their dedication in helping make sure that every child who comes to us will have a toy on Christmas morning. With their help, we are building a stronger community.”
In 2017, The Salvation Army in Toronto provided thousands of children with toys and other practical items, and more than 30,000 families with assorted food hampers through its Christmas assistance program.
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