After the controversy surrounding the name of his collection, host Marto Napoli may have broken a record with the great generosity of citizens.
Marto, who has organized a Christmas candy, clothing and toy drive for 21 years, was considering giving it all up last month because of a complaint about the event's name.
For more than two decades, the “Marto and his poor people” activity has shattered several brands due to its popularity. The success continued Friday evening in Quebec.
” Huge “
“It was huge!” Following the controversy, the unifying movement became even stronger. We filled four 30-foot trucks,” said the organizer, proud of his evening.
The public response also delighted Marto, who aimed to achieve “the biggest collection of the century” after receiving a wave of love from thousands of Quebecers.
“People have been terribly generous by donating lots of toys, bicycles and even hockey equipment! Our record of $277,000 dates back to 2019 and we will come close to it or beat it this year. The countdown is underway. I can’t believe it yet,” he added.
Needs
If the complaint shook the host at the time, the latter would like to thank everyone for their participation in the event.
According to 10 signatories from Bas-Saint-Laurent, his own hometown, the expression “his poor people” is a phrase that can be hurtful. However, its activity will not change its name.
For his part, the president of the Society of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul of Quebec, Jean-Luc Lavoie, admits that this collection is important more than ever in a context where needs continue to increase.
“We must focus on the result, that is, $200,000 in food and toys,” he explained, evoking in passing the smiles of the children when the Christmas baskets arrive.
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