We can’t say it enough, thank you Mission for giving the gift of food and joy this Christmas through the Mission Christmas Bureau.

Business and community members made the difference.

You gave gifts to more than 480 children and food to 1,450 individuals.

“Wow! You are an amazing community and we are so thankful that, with your help, we were able to give back to those in need,” said MCSS executive director Michelle Puffer.

“Thank you also to the fantastic volunteers who played elf and assisted with the process. We can’t do any of what we do without you. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!” she said.

Thanks to the Mission Junction Shopping Centre for the Bureau space, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Mission City Record for publicity and advertising, and to Urban Valley Transport Ltd. for the critical trucking the Bureau required during the wish campaign.

From the huge donations by Mission Medical Centre and Polygon Homes Ltd. to Mission Fire Rescue Service at the Haunted House and Santa Food Drives (with support from Mission Emergency Support Services), Village Church, Mission Music Lessons, Boston Pizza, Festival of Trees, Gateway Casino, Rotary Carol Festival, West Coast Express Santa Trains, Mission City Pizza, Little Oak Realty, Tea Time Décor to the exceptional work and toy and wonderful cash donations by our local high schools, sports teams, and elementary schools.

Our hearts were warmed with visits by Fitrx Health and Wellness, the Teens for Teens crew, Panago Pizza, Mission Fitness Lab, Currie Creek Electric, Sasquatch Mountain Resort, TD Bank, VanCity Credit Union, Prospera Credit Union, Mission Valley Women’s Network, Casa Del Sol, Mission Springs, City Hall, Silvercity Theatre, Inspire Me Fitness, Mission Literacy in Motion, Dark Lotus Drift Team, Decode Escape Rooms, Northview Community Church, Mission Game Changers, Charlene Reaveley Children’s Charity Society, Pleasantview Housing Society, The Middletons realty team, Douglas Holdings Ltd, Riverside College, Brownie’s Chicken, The Railyard, Abstract Auto Glass, Tim Horton’s, All Saints Craft and Vendor sale and Elks Hall Craft Market, Happy Homesteader, Prospect Equipment, Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce and the list goes on with so many expressions of generosity.

Again, thank you to all (you know who you are). So many happy faces in the giving and we can tell you so many thankful people on the receiving end.

To our MCSS organizers, Mika Brosseau, coordinator of the Mission Christmas Bureau, and Avalon Lawrence, coordinator of Mission Food Centre, take a bow!

Thank you, Mission.

For more images of this year’s Mission Christmas Bureau activity, refer to Mission Community Services and Mission Food Centre/Christmas Bureau Facebook pages.