Christmas Caravan 2006 Update

Once again Marklanders have captured the true spirit of the holiday season.

 

This years Caravan started out like so many others, with cheery smiles and enthusiasm from a large group of eager Caravaners ready to kick off our community tradition. We left the plaza shortly after 9:00 am and began our steady pace making sure we didn’t miss any houses, knocking on the doors along the way.

 

The sound truck made our presence known as it heralded Christmas carols through the streets of Markland which could be heard near and far. This years Caravan consisted of two Police escorts, a tractor trailer for food transportation, a straight truck for clothing collection, a bright red fire truck, dozens of helpful elves and of course Santa Claus.

 

It was so great to see the number of houses with donations ready at the door and friendly faces outside to greet us.  About an hour into our day we reached Silverthorne Bush and Markland Drive where our spirits really lifted as we were greeted by the residents of Fairview Towers and their large donation.  It’s truly great when all of Markland pitches in to make our event a success.

 

Half way through our morning route we stopped in the parking lot of Silverthorn Collegiate for our well deserved mid morning break.  A quick check of the donations collected so far looked promising.

 

The packers in the transport truck were kept busy throughout the day organizing hundreds of bags and boxes of donations.  When the days collecting was over and the truck unloaded, we were awestruck with the amount of food stacked neatly in piles.  Through the generous donations of our community, we greatly surpassed all previous years donations with over 572 boxes or approx. 17,000 pounds of food and $475.00 in cash!  Well done Markland!

 

The next morning all the charities had picked up their share, my garage empty and our hearts full knowing that we had helped so many this holiday season.

 

Everyone involved with this years event is to be congratulated and sincerely thanked for their hard work and tireless efforts.  Many families and charities will benefit from your time and generosity.

 

Our Christmas Caravan owes its success to many people and companies. For many years they have generously contributed without question.  We would like to specifically thank the following for their special contributions:

 

Atlantic Packaging                             - cardboard boxes for food donations

Bloordale United Church                   - lunch stop

Bruno’s Fine Foods                           - meat and cheese trays

Cardinal Meats                                   - hamburgers for lunch break

Collins and Greig Cartage                - transport truck for food collection

Enbridge Gas                                     - BBQ’s and tents for morning and lunch breaks

Markland Golf Course                       - golf/utility carts

Topps Canada                                   - candy treats for Santa Claus

Toronto Fire                                        - fire trucks

Toronto Police                                    - police officers and cruisers

Caravan Elves                                    - donation collectors/volunteers

 

Thank you again to the residents of Markland who made donations and to all that came out and helped make this years Caravan such a huge success.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Martin Ross

Christmas Caravan Chair

 

Click on this sentence to see Christmas Caravan 2006 photographs