Sparky needs a new dog house.
The doggy mascot that fronts the annual toy drive made a stop at Windsor city council to pick up donations on Monday.
He was joined by Windsor Fire and Rescue's Sean Costello who says come January the campaign won't have a place to store all the toys it collects for next year's drive. He says for the last four years the Rose City Islamic Centre has offered space free of charge for the toy drive, but renovations have forced Sparky out.
Not having a space lined up for the new year is a bit stressful, says Costello.
"That is a big concern," he says. "Sparky's Toy Drive has evolved from a seasonal operation to a year-round operation."
At the moment Costello is working on securing a new place for the campaign. The toy drive would need a 2,000 sq. ft. space, or about the size of a school gymnasium.
"I got a couple irons in the fire, but nothing committed yet," he says. "But, it's Windsor-Essex, somebody always comes through, the generosity is great."
"We're always short, we seem to be short, in the 9 to 14-year-old age category and we have gift ideas for that age category on our website."
Right now Sparky's Toy Drive is working out of the old No.5 fire station, but has to be out come January. Costello thanks the Rose City Islamic Council for their help over the last four years.
Last year the toy drive helped out 1,300 financially burdened families by handing out 3,200 packages to children up to 14 years old.