Every year firefighters from around the region move through the Santas Anonymous warehouse, filling orders for delivery.
Members of the Oak Bay Firefighters Charitable Foundation are among those spending their off-hours helping deliver toys and food to 1,200 families in need each winter.
Ahead of the late-December distribution, they've also gathered to help pick up the donated goods.
"Those are the times that really matter to us, because we get to see the people who need that support first hand. To be able to be there and interact with them, those are really meaningful moments for us," said Trent Frenkel, executive director of the Oak Bay foundation.
Winter provides the heartwarming opportunities to give back, including volunteering at the Bright Nights light festival in Cloverdale, where firefighters - again from departments across the region - volunteer at the gate, collecting for the BC Burn Fund that supports burn camps, and burn survivors as well as their families.
This year, Oak Bay Firefighters Charitable Foundation will pump about $80,000 into local organizations, supporting things such as the South Island Ravens Hockey Club, Bright Nights, Victoria Hospitals Foundation and Santas Anonymous. Maintaining those contribution levels is thanks to community support, Frenkel said, with hopes of even upping those amounts.
"We're directing this money towards people who have proven programs that can really put that money to good use. It's through organizations and foundations such as ourselves that really help them move forward, especially in times like this," he said.
Oak Bay recently committed to a $20,000, four-year pledge for CFAX Santas.
Fundraisers include the organization's first official raffle in 2024 that banked on three massive prizes - Taylor Swift tickets among them.
"We are hopefully going to be running another raffle campaign in 2026, and hopefully we can increase that number even more," Frenkel said.
The broader community may not necessarily see them out and about at the two big winter activities, geared to giving back, but the foundation is open to hearing from residents.
"Fire-related interactions and events have been on the decline in the last few years. We're doing our best right now as a charitable foundation to get some of those back," Frenkel said, noting the organization has applied to bring back a Halloween bonfire.
"We're still actively trying to do these things to get the community involved in more fire-related events again."
Residents did see them out at the recent Oak Bay light up, where firefighters organized photos with Santa, and Frenkel's hearing ideas from residents.
"If there's anything the community wanted to see, an event, or an off-duty firefighter to attend an event...we're always happy to explore the options," he said.
Find Oak Bay Firefighters Charitable Foundation on Instagram and Facebook or email ideas of interest to oakbayfirefighterscharitable@gmail.com.