Christmas Wish 2025

Dilico Anishinabek Family Care’s Christmas Wish campaign has collected 1,200 wish bags this holiday season.

The new record comes in large part thanks to this year’s partnership with the Children’s Aid Society, allowing for hundreds more wish bags to be collected than in previous years.

For two decades, the charitable campaign has distributed personalized wish bags to Thunder Bay residents.

Each bag contains the personal information of a child in need, including their name, age, and Christmas wishes.

Participating residents are instructed to fill up their wish bag according to the personalized wishes of the respective child.

Those participating can also add additional items, such as clothes.

Now that the wish bags have all been collected, the charity will distribute them to enrolled children across the district before Christmas.

Dilico Anishinabek Family Care’s Christmas Wish campaign has found a new partner for the 2025 season.

This year, the District of Thunder Bay Children’s Aid Society is teaming up with Dilico to give out more gifts than ever before.

“To see a smile, to know that a smile is on a child’s face on Christmas morning… that’s all we want. To give back,” says Carmela Hardy, Executive Director of the local Children’s Aid Society.

For nearly two decades, Dilico has run its charitable initiative to give out red Christmas wish bags.

Each bag is personalized with the wishes of an individual child.

Participants in the campaign are encouraged to collect a wish bag and fill it with the child’s request, as well as any other gifts they wish to add.

Last year, Dilico gave out approximately 800 or 900 wish bags. This year, with the help of the Children’s Aid Society, they hope to give out 1200.

“It makes it even bigger and better,” Dilico CEO Natalie Paavola says of the partnership.

Wish bags can be collected from locations around the city, including Dilico locations, the local Children’s Aid Society Office, Goods & Co., and several pop-up locations that will appear throughout November.

The final collection day for filled wish bags is December 1.