Hundreds braved the atmospheric river and made their way downtown Vancouver Tuesday morning to take part in the 38th annual Pan Pacific Christmas Wish Breakfast.In exchange for toys, attendees received a complimentary breakfast and some holiday cheer..Things kicked off (not so) bright and early at 6 a.m., and over the next three hours, a steady stream of people filed through Canada Place, up the escalators to the toy drop and buffet..After collecting the toys, off-duty firefighters and other volunteers added them to the ever-growing mountain behind them. Larger gifts, such as bikes, were placed at the back.Among those who took time out of their day to help those in need were John and Emmalie. Their gifts of choice? A science kit and some math games — things they both enjoyed receiving as kids.."I heard about this on the news and I was so excited to have the community come together and see everyone in the Christmas spirit," Emmalie told the Western Standard during breakfast after waiting in line for over an hour.Her sentiments were shared by John, who said he "grew up seeing this on the news all the time" and only this year decided to check it out in person."I feel like, especially recently, you don't see a lot of community based stuff anymore," he added. "It's fun to see the newscasters and the firefighters ... it feels like a sense of community."When asked if they'd be back next year, both said "absolutely," noting that it makes for a nice holiday tradition..As the last group made their way out of the dining hall, the firefighters and their team were busy packing up all the toys into bags..They were then taken down to street level..There, trucks were waiting to take them to children in need.
