More than 600 toys for the Red Deer Christmas Bureau were delivered to Red Deer City Hall over the last month in lieu of payment for parking tickets.
The fifth year of the Toys for Tickets program, which ran from Nov. 1 to Dec. 2, collected 601 presents for kids from low-income families. Everything from puzzles to mp3 players, stuffed animals and hockey sticks were dropped off.
“The quality of toys we received was phenomenal. It’s obvious that a lot of thought went into the donations, and many donated items were worth far more than the value of their ticket,” said Erin Stuart, development and licensing supervisor for the City of Red Deer.
Of the 2,960 parking tickets that were issued during this period, 352 were paid for with toys. The total value of the tickets collected was more than $5,400.
“Red Deerians are always generous with this program,” added Stuart, who noted the presents will help ensure “that no child wakes up without a toy on Christmas morning.”
For more information, call 403-342-8185.