As Christmas approaches, MyCityCare’s annual Wonder Shop officially opened its doors on Thursday.

Staff have transformed the space into Santa’s workshop, where families can select gifts for free.

Shop of Wonders is part of the citywide Christmas Hope campaign, which is gearing up to help more than 10,000 people in need.

Of these, MyCityCare plans to help more than 1,400 children to ensure no one goes without this Christmas.

As the store opened its doors on Thursday, organizations say donations have already started rolling in.

“We’ve already seen really good community support,” said Tanya Lister, MyCityCare program coordinator. “There is still a lot to do, knowing that hundreds of toys leave this space every day. So even though the shelves may look very full, a few hours later it’s not as much.

“But so far,” she added, “we’ve just had really good support from different donors, sponsors, just individuals in the community who have dropped off items or made contributions financial.”

Those who need support this holiday season can visit hopedenoel.ca to find more information.