Children in need in Orillia will be receiving toys this holiday season, thanks to residents who chose to pay their parking fines with toy donations.
According to a release issued by the City of Orillia on Tuesday, the 2018 Toys for Tickets campaign raised over $1,100 in children’s toys.
Anyone who received a parking ticket in the city of Orillia between Nov. 1 and Dec. 1, was invited to donate a toy of equal or greater value of their fine in lieu of paying.
“Since 2006, the City of Orillia has been turning parking tickets into toys to help families in need,” Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke said in the release. “No one likes getting a parking ticket, but knowing you are able to turn that negative experience into joy and excitement for a child over the holidays makes it meaningful.”
The city says all of the toys collected during this year’s program will be donated to the local chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
“The Christmas season can represent a financially difficult time for some of our local families,” president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Orillia, Tara Treash, said in the release. “The Toys for Tickets campaign offered by the City of Orillia is a tremendous help to families as it eases the financial burden of gift-giving. We are grateful to the City of Orillia for this generous campaign.”
According to the release, in the last 13 years, the program has raised approximately $35,000 worth of toys.