In need of children’s toys? Don't bother sending out an SOS, because Bradford Community Church has you covered.
The church’s SOS Junior Crew will be giving away 40 to 50 pre-assembled toys for free this Sunday starting at 10:15 a.m. at the Starbucks at 177 Holland St. E., in Bradford.
The toys were made available through CityServe — a network a non-profit organizations that distribute new and used goods to communities — and include items such as tricycles, children’s slides, children’s basketball nets, baby walkers, playhouses and more.
All the toys come pre-assembled by the 10 to 20 kids aged five to 11 who participate each week in the SOS Junior Crew, in which the kids receive training as they work toward a project out in the community on the last Sunday of every month.
“The kids are great,” Pastor Cory Kostyra said, noting someone regularly covers for him at the church, so he can spend more time guiding the group. “I’m going out and having fun with them.”
He explained the junior crew was inspired by and also receive mentorship from the older SOS Crew, aged 15-plus.
“They want to be SOS so bad, they can taste it,” Kostyra said.
Those young adults are part of an eight-week Summer of Service (SOS) program run by the church and funded mostly by the Canada Summer Jobs program, which is expected to enter its fourth year this summer when the participants will plan, prepare and implement community-service projects of their choosing.
In the past those have included helping people experiencing homelessness, helping at retirement homes, picking up garbage, publicly performing music and more.
For more information about the program, visit bradfordcommunitychurch.com or call 905-775-9268.
