Our Mission

Holiday Helpers is a registered charity whose mission is to provide a one-time personalized Christmas package to families with young children living in low-income situations who are trying to improve their circumstances.

We work with donors, volunteers and partnering charities to provide each family with a holiday meal, decorated Christmas tree, and customized Christmas gifts.

What We Do

Holiday Helpers provides the complete Christmas experience to families living in low-income situations.

Our goal is to provide necessary poverty relief items while sharing the spirit of Christmas and giving.

Many of the families in the program are:

  • single parent families
  • newly immigrated to Canada
  • involved in programs for subsided daycare or living
  • have experienced a catastrophic event that has impacted their financial situation

All the families are motivated to make a positive difference in their children's lives. They often work multiple jobs to make ends meet, attend night school or even perform volunteer work of their own.

Each Family Receives...

Our goal is to provide each family with the full Christmas experience, which includes:

  • An artificial Christmas tree with all the trimmings, including lights, decorations and a tree topper
  • A minimum $100 gift card to a local grocery store for a warm meal
  • Personalized gifts from the families wish list, including warm jackets, clothing, household items and toys

Help us reach our 2024 goal of sponsoring 1,200 families in the GTA, Durham & Hamilton.

How it all began...

Many years ago, just a few days before Christmas Day in 1996, a family in Brampton lost their home in a house fire. The Salvation Army put out a community call-to-action to help the family by donating clothing, housewares, and food.

Sisters, April and Sarah Rutka wanted to help the family somehow but as students, they had little funds.

They knew the family celebrated Christmas. They also knew how special it would be for the family to wake on Christmas morning with a new fully decorated tree

Collecting funds from family and friends, the sisters were able to replace the family's burnt tree and decorations.

Pic A&S

After the holidays, April and Sarah heard that the family was overjoyed with their gift of the tree. It helped the family celebrate a special holiday, making them feel loved and normal again after their tragedy.

Wanting to do something special each year, April and Sarah continued the tradition they had started. They donated Christmas trees to families in need during the holidays.

A boy opening his gifts from a Holiday Helpers donation drive

In 2004, April and Sarah made the commitment to run their idea to give back into something real. They named it "Holiday Helpers Canada" and began the process of becoming a registered charity.

In the years that followed, Holiday Helpers grew beyond their local community and they started to help more and more families. they had created a snowball, that with the generous support of so many, grew bigger each year.

In the last 20+ years, over 10,000 donors and volunteers have come together with the passion to bring the  magic of Christmas deserving families throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

The Christmas package has also evolved over the years. When Holiday Helpers first began, only an artificial tree and decorations were provided. Now sponsored families receive a fully customized Christmas package, including:

  • an artificial pre-lit tree with all the decorations and tree topper
  • a minimum of $100 gift card towards a Christmas meal
  • necessary poverty relief items from the family's wish list, including winter coats/snow suits, hats and mitts, warm clothing, household items and of course, toys from Santa
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Timeline of our growth...

  • December 23, 1996

    First Christmas tree was given

    A Brampton family lost their home in a fire just a few days before Christmas. April & Sarah wanted to help the family and raised money to purchase them a tree and decorations.

  • November 1, 2004

    Officially named Holiday Helpers

    April and Sarah name their passion project "Holiday Helpers" and it becomes official!

  • December 25, 2009

    HH sponsors 100 families

    Holiday Helpers hits the milestone of helping 100 families in one year.

  • December 14, 2010

    Become a registered charity

    After many years of paperwork, Holiday Helpers was officially a registered charity and opens its first wrapping warehouse in Toronto.

  • December 25, 2011

    HH sponsors 200 families

    Holiday Helpers hits another milestone and sponsors 200 families in one year.

  • December 25, 2016

    HH celebrates 20 years

    Holiday Helpers celebrates its 20th anniversary and sponsors 500 families in one year and open their first office in Etobicoke, Ontario.

  • December 25, 2018

    HH expands to Durham

    Holiday Helpers opens its first Chapter outside of the greater Toronto area and helps families in the Durham region.

  • December 25, 2019

    HH expands to Hamilton

    Holiday Helpers opens its second Chapter and helps families in the Hamilton region.