There’s not many things in this world that could get me up at the crack of dawn, but being a part of Pan Pacific’s 28th annual Christmas Wish Breakfast did just that. It helps that I got to stay over at the hotel too.
Every year, the Pan Pacific holds its epic toy drive – one of the largest in Canada. Vancouverites are invited to come down and donate a new, unwrapped toy to the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau, in order to make Christmas special for families in need. As a thank you, the hotel provides a complimentary, hot buffet breakfast on the house.
This year’s event took place on November 26, between 6am-9am. With a call time for staff being 530am (!)
Even though it was hella early, it was worth it, seeing all the generous donations being dropped off and the City of Vancouver fire department volunteers stacking the toys into what would become a two-story high Christmas “tree.”
The Good Noise Gospel Choir, the Goh Ballet, the Langley Ukulele Ensemble entertained the crowd and the whole thing was broadcast live on-site with Global BC and Rock 101.
This year’s event turned out to be a record-breaking one. Here’s what the numbers looked like:
5,000+ Vancouverites dropped off 17+ tonnes of toys, 1,000 bikes and more than $22,000 in cash donations, while our culinary team cooked up 11,000 eggs, 11,642 sausages, 1,152 pounds of hash browns and 4,600 croissants for the hungry crowd. All in the span of three hours!
Some pics:
What a great way to kick of the holiday season and get into the festive mood. Such a great cause too! Looking forward to next year’s Christmas Wish Breakfast. Mark your calendars!
For an archive of my live-tweeting of the event, view them on my Twitter moments. View more photos of the event on my Flickr album.
No Comments