Purdys Chocolatier’s annual Dear Santa Bar campaign is returning for its eighth year, with the company saying the initiative has raised nearly $2 million for children’s hospital foundations across Canada since its launch.
The Vancouver-based chocolatier is adding Halifax’s IWK Health as a new hospital partner this year, expanding the fundraising program’s reach to include children, youth and families in the Maritimes.
The campaign directs $2 from every Dear Santa Bar sold to participating children’s hospital foundations. The funds are used to support hospital needs, including medical equipment, research, specialized treatments and programs for young patients and their families.
The addition of IWK Health brings the number of participating hospital foundations to eight, spanning British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia.
New partnership expands campaign’s reach
IWK Health, located in Halifax, provides health services to children, youth and women across the Maritimes, including specialized treatments, emergency services and life-saving care.
Purdys said the annual campaign is intended to help support children receiving hospital care during the holiday season, when families may face additional challenges navigating medical treatment.
“We started Dear Santa after learning that kids spending the holidays in the hospital worry most that Santa won’t be able to find them,” said Kriston Dean, Chief Operating Officer at Purdys Chocolatier. “This bar is all about preserving the magic of childhood, even inside hospital walls. The overwhelming generosity of our customers each holiday season proves that when a child needs help, Canadians step up to make sure no family feels forgotten.”
According to the company, donations from the initiative help fund medical equipment, research projects and clinical trials, as well as specialized medical and mental health treatments.
The money also supports therapeutic programming, including art, music and play activities designed to provide comfort and reduce stress for children receiving care.
Eight hospital foundations benefit
The Dear Santa Bar campaign supports hospital foundations in eight Canadian cities. Along with its new partnership with IWK Health, the participating organizations include BC Children’s Hospital Foundation in Vancouver, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation in Calgary and Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation in Edmonton.
Other beneficiaries are Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon, Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba in Winnipeg, SickKids Foundation in Toronto and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.
Purdys said the $2 donation from each bar sold goes to the participating hospital foundation, with funds directed toward each institution’s most urgent needs.
The company is selling the Dear Santa Bar through its retail locations across Canada and online through its website. The fundraising campaign is part of its broader seasonal community-support activities.
Purdys Chocolatier, which describes itself as a family-owned Canadian company, was established in 1907. Its business includes chocolate gifts made with premium ingredients and sustainably sourced cocoa.
The Dear Santa Bar campaign marks eight years of fundraising for children’s hospitals, with the company reporting nearly $2 million raised to date.
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