'They're super beautiful': vintage Barbies donated to kids in need in Manitoba
A nostalgic donation to a charitable organization is helping kids in need have a happy holiday season.
Makegooders has been taking second-hand book and toy donations and finding new owners for them since 2019. "We clean them up, we fix the toys if they're broken, and we repackage them in these beautiful gift bags, and we donate them to local organizations that work directly with kids in need," said founder Whitney Morrison.
Despite a pandemic-induced interruption in service, Makegooders has made and donated gift bags to non-profits like the Immigrant Centre, the Boys and Girls Club, and Rossbrook House.
Last Christmas, the group made gift bags for NorWest Co-op on Alexander which were so well received, they're doing it again. "They wanted 100 bags for kids between the ages of six and 12," said Morrison.
Some of the kids receiving the gift bags this year will get an added bonus. "Thanks to Leanne and her aunt, we have all of these really cool vintage Barbies that have never been opened," said Morrison. "They're super beautiful, and so some kids are going to have some really neat toys on top of the usual stuff that we send out."
20 vintage dolls were donated by Leanne Hildebrand on behalf of her aunt, who she said absolutely loved them.
"She really enjoyed collecting them and going to doll shows with my grandmother, the two of them were quite close," she said. "After my grandmother died, she still kept the dolls because she enjoyed them, but also because she wanted to honour the memory of the time they spent enjoying it together."
Hildebrand said her aunt was downsizing and asked her to find a new home for the Barbies.
"She said 'can you look to make use of them,' and so I looked around, I did some research and came across Makegooders on I think Facebook," said Hildebrand.
She liked what the organization was doing. "In terms of not having to purchase and consume more … when I was reading about Makegooders that really made sense to me because that’s certainly the philosophy we try to live by in our own house," she said.
Hildebrand feels good about the donation. "I think that the dolls, if they could speak, would be quite thrilled that they're having a second life, and that they're finding good homes to make some kids happy this time of year."
And while she is excited to be delivering the gift bags this week, Morrison is already preparing for next year.
"I'm happy to take your stuff, I'll pick it up from you or you can drop it off, and yeah, we'll fulfill more orders in 2023."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.