Many gave for Parade of Lights toy drive at Canalside Tattoo

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Staff of MAAC and Community Action of Orleans and Genesee pose with employees of Canalside Tattoo and a big collection of toys that were dropped during Medina’s Parade of Lights on Saturday, Nov. 25.  In front at left and right are Katrina Chaffee, director of community services and reporting at Community Action, and Sherry Tuohey, head of the MAAC Red Barrel Christmas program. In back are, from left, Andrew Lonnen with Canalside; Regan Timmer with Canalside; Rickey Standish with Community Action; Canalside owner Shawn Ramsey; Jim Sipple with MAAC; James Christian with Canalside; Jeanette Worsley, case manager with Community Action; Ernest Gursslin, Community Action’s facilities manager; Matthew Rolfe with Canalside; and C. J. Cruickshank, Canalside employee.

MEDINA – Two agencies which assist families at Christmas got a big boost for their holiday programs Friday morning with the donation of toys at Canalside Tattoo in Medina.

Community Action of Orleans Genesee and MAAC’s Red Barrel program picked up the toys which were collected by Canalside Tattoo during the Parade of Lights on Nov. 25.

Canalside has been collecting the toys since 2017. Andrew Szatkowski of Medina approached Canalside owner Shawn Ramsey with the idea, after the Corporate Toy Challenge in Medina was discontinued.

“Andrew and I both grew up realizing the need in the community,” Ramsey said. “I’m in a position now to be able to help and I wanted to affect a change. Being conveniently located on Main Street and Park Avenue, we decided to take advantage of the thousands of people in town for the annual Christmas celebration.”

Ramsey advertised for people to drop off new toys at his store, and the donations poured in.

Ramsey stressed that all toys collected stay to help children locally.

“That was Andy’s directive,” Ramsey said.

Each year the toys are divided between Community Action and MAAC.

On hand with their staff to collect the toys were Katrina Chaffee, director of community services and reporting for Community Action, and Sherri Tuohey, head of MAAC’s Red Barrel Program, with assistance from Jim Sipple.

Chaffee said Community Action already has 110 families signed up for Christmas assistance. Sixty of those families have children.

“And that’s just in the Albion area,” she said. “We depend heavily on these donations. Otherwise, we would have to turn to the community to adopt families.”

Jeanette Worsley, case manager at Community Action, said volunteers from Baxter are coming in this year to help them pack Christmas boxes.

Tuohey was likewise very appreciative of the donations.

“We have such a great need this year in the Medina community,” she said. “Any kind of help is much needed and appreciated. It is so wonderful what Andy started and Shawn is continuing here.”