Striking postal workers in Toronto’s west end are giving their time this holiday season to bring smiles to the faces of children in the community, while also helping their local food bank.
Late last week, a new campaign called Spreading Christmas Cheer: Bringing the Community Together for Love, Care, and Giving launched at North York Harvest Food Bank. (NYHFB).
Spearheaded by Canada Post mail carrier Nahan Fahey, with the support of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, the initiative invites people who have children who would like to send a letter to Santa Claus to drop it off at the food bank at 116 Industry St.
Those who are able are also asked to bring along some non-perishable food to donate.
Letter and food donation boxes have been placed at the food bank, which is south of Trethewey Drive and west of Black Creek Drive.
People are welcome to stop by between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays up until Sunday, Dec. 22.
The plan is for responses to Santa Claus’s letters to be ready for pickup before Christmas at NYHFB.
For several years, scores of Canada Post workers across the country have volunteered to prepare responses to the letters children mail to Santa Claus. However, due to the strike, that initiative has been paused.
“We wanted to continue this tradition,” Fahey said during an interview with CP24.com earlier this week.
After some discussions with NYHFB, an arrangement was made for Canada Post workers to use an area of the food bank’s large warehouse for preparing letter responses.
North York Harvest Food Bank is located just across the street from a large Canada Post station at 66 Ray Ave. After completing their strike duty, workers who want to take part in the Santa letter effort can easily walk over and help out.
‘What Christmas is really all about’
“It’s a perfect opportunity for both of us to come together. … We’re trying to make something positive out of a tough time,” said Fahey, who has worked as a Canada Post mail carrier for two and a half years.
“This is what Christmas is really all about.”
In a release, NYHFB said the holiday season is a “time to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what truly matters: love, generosity, and the spirit of community,” calling the campaign one that “embodies the magic of the season and the importance of caring for one another.”
“Christmas is about more than presents—it’s about building connections, sharing what we have, and ensuring that no one in our community feels forgotten or alone," it said.
The organization went on to say postal workers are not only ensuring that children’s letters to Santa are answered, but they’re also “standing in solidarity with their community to support food access for those who need it most.”
“This gathering is about more than food or letters—it’s about the joy of giving, the warmth of coming together, and the magic of knowing we can all make a difference. Let’s make sure no one in our community feels left out of the celebrations this Christmas,” said NYHFB.
Fahey said collecting food for the local food bank makes perfect sense as it’s no secret the organization has been struggling to keep up with exponential increases in demand, coupled with the inability to send out donation appeals through the mail to supporters, which has resulted in shelves being emptier than ever before.
He also added some of those clients actually work for Canada Post.
Aware of this food insecurity, NYHFB provided 50 boxes of food to the striking workers this week. Those hampers were depleted within two days.
“Clearly people are struggling,” Fahey said.
With the prolonged job action, he said he’s concerned even more of his co-workers may need to seek help from the food bank.
“A lot of people on the line are very worried about rent coming up and how they’re going to afford to feed their families,” Fahey shared.
“Many of us were already living paycheck to paycheck.”