Montreal mom turns home into holiday toy factory

Carolyn Bouchard-MacNeil is a busy mom of three and with the holidays around the corner, she’s even busier.

Each year from November to mid-December, her home in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood transforms into a toy factory of sorts - so much so that she’s become known as a real-life Santa.

“At this time of year, it's always new toys that we're giving, new gifts for kids,” Bouchard-MacNeil says, adding “last year, we closed at over 4300 kids in Montreal.”

She says what started as a holiday toy drive among friends snowballed into Carolyn's Community. The group works with local non-profits, including shelters for women and their children.

After 22 years the mom is proud of the initiative that just keeps growing. She’s equally proud of how the organization sets itself apart.

“It's not just dropping off a toy in a box. People actually choose a child by their age and gender. They buy for that specific child and then drop it off in a gift bag tagged with, you know…male, four years old or female 11 years old,” the Carolyn’s Community founder and executive director said.

The rules for gifting are simple:

• Those giving can offer a monetary donation or shop themselves.
• If buying for a child aged 12 or younger, one can donate a toy valued at $30.
• For someone over 12 one can also opt to donate gift cards.
• Find a drop-off location at carolynscommunity.com and gifts are then delivered to those in need.

“I realized how much people wanted to take part, so we opened up another branch of women's gifts. The teens and women are always the ones that we struggle at the end trying to find gifts for because younger kids, everybody wants or is eager to get for,” Bouchard-MacNeil explained.

She thanks her “head elves,” otherwise known as her many helpers throughout the city of Montreal for the ongoing success of Carolyn’s Community.

When asked about the massive undertaking Bouchard-MacNeil’s daughter Ginger - a younger kid herself said, “You know that feeling when you wake up and you're so excited because now you get something. And it's special to have that experience because not all the people have that. But then you have my mom here just giving it to everybody and that's like a wish.”

While the mom of three admits she will need to hire help in order to meet increasing operational needs, she hopes Carolyn’s Community will be around for many more years to come.