SURREY – More than 1500 toys were collected by Uncle Vinny’s Toy Drive, named after an Indo-Canadian man Vinny Maan who passed away.

The Salvation Army picked up toy donations on Wednesday from the Maan family home in Surrey on Wednesday to help families who may not be able to afford gifts. 

The second annual Uncle Vinny’s Toy Drive carries on Maan’s tradition of gift giving as collection boxes have been set up throughout the Lower Mainland in local businesses.

“Uncle Vinny’s thing was extending that extra hand and building a friendship with children to spread love and kindness. The toy drive goes hand in hand with what now will be Uncle Vinny’s legacy,” says Sandy, Vinny’s sister.

The campaign ran from November 12th – December 10th and is hoping to help hundreds of more children after last year’s Toy Drive collected 1,685 toys in B.C.

Donations collected from this year’s Uncle Vinny Toy Drive will be presented at the Boundless Vancouver Christmas Toy Shop where families can walk through and choose the gifts they prefer according to their children’s preferences. Donations for the Toy Shop are also being collected at the Toys“R”Us Broadway location till December 23rd.