Thirty-three bags of food, six bags of toys, enough bottles and cans to fill a corner of the parking lot at the Naval Radio Section (NRS) Aldergrove military base at 3900 272nd Street, along with more than $500 in cash.
It was more than Paul Towns, a commissionaire at NRS, was hoping for when he came up with the idea for a 鈥淪tuff the Truck鈥� fundraiser to benefit Christmas bureaus and food banks in 91原创, Abbotsford, and Mission.
鈥淚t was higher than anticipated,鈥� is how Towns summed it up.
Cash donations totalled $540, including $200 from people working at the base.
Towns is still waiting for a final tally from the bottle drive, but his rough estimate puts the value at about $500.
His suggestion to anyone who would still like to contribute is to drop their donations off directly at their local Christmas bureau or food bank.
On Saturday, Nov. 25th, the truck to be stuffed was waiting in the parking lot outside the security gate at the facility, a hulking Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS) in olive drab, on loan from Canadian Forces Base Richmond for the day.
Volunteers from the Aldergrove Army and Sea Cadets were on hand to help handle the drop-offs.
On that day, Towns, who was wearing Rudolph-style antlers and nose for the occasion, said he would like to make it 鈥渁n annual event because people are going to need help every year.鈥�
The person in charge of the base has agreed.
鈥淲e got the green light from the commander this morning,鈥� a pleased Towns said Monday.
READ ALSO: Stuff the Truck in Aldergrove aims to give back
Towns was inspired to organize the event by his own experience with aid agencies.
鈥淚 had realized the power of gratitude when I had been through a hard time with my liver transplant in 2013, during which I had received gift cards, food, toys for my children,鈥� Towns recalled.
鈥淚t was a great emotional support from Christmas bureaus.鈥�
READ ALSO: Aldergrove naval radio station still helps ships, aircraft communicate
Built during the Second World War, remains the Royal Canadian Navy鈥檚 primary communications relay site for Maritime Forces Pacific, receiving high and low frequency signals used in long-distance radio communications.
A second, related base, in Matsqui near Sumas Mountain, has a transmitting station.
Early in the war, naval radio communications was run from Vancouver Island, near the major base and docks at Esquimalt, but interference was a serious problem.
In 1942, a decision was made to build new stations, on 1,220 acres in Aldergrove and 230 acres in Matsqui, which, in Aldergrove, includes a large buffer zone to prevent electromagnetic interference from local development.
