Food and toy hampers herald In The Spirit of Christmas

Ted Long had his share of bleak holidays. Now, he's working so others don't.
Roger Collier, The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, November 17, 2007

Outside Tony Nicolitsis' tidy Kanata townhouse, the temperature has dipped to the single digits. Inside, it's warmer, but still cool.

"The heat's not on right now," says Mr. Nicolitsis, 31. "We can't really afford it."

He's always cold. It doesn't help that he can't keep any food down and is losing weight daily. When healthy, Mr. Nicolitsis weighs about 175 pounds. He was at 132 last week. And today, his scale tells him, he's down to 127.

In March, Mr. Nicolitsis left his job as a customer service representative at Algonquin College after a donated kidney he received in 2002 failed. His own kidneys failed years ago.

He's on disability leave, taking home 60 per cent of his pay. His partner of 14 years, April Duffy, works in administration at the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute. Their daughter, Trinity, is in Grade 2.

Mr. Nicolitsis is on home dialysis. He suffers from stomach ulcers, takes six medications to control his high blood pressure, and is on another for migraines. He's tired, always.

And there are financial struggles, too. After paying rent and buying groceries, there's not much left. Bills are going unpaid.

"It's been like this for 10 years," says Ms. Duffy. "We never can catch up."

Christmas last year was tough. Mr. Nicolitsis' body was rejecting the donated kidney and he often missed work. But he and Ms. Duffy earned enough to cobble together a decent holiday for their daughter. This year it didn't look good.

Then Ted Long called.

For the past 16 years, Mr. Long, a 65-year-old painter, has run the In The Spirit of Christmas food hamper and toy program. He also hosts a Christmas party each year for about 100 children from local shelters.

Mr. Long heard about Mr. Nicolitsis and his family from a friend. Touched by their story, he called soon after.

Mr. Long knows a thing or two about going without at Christmas. He grew up in Regent Park, a hardscrabble area in downtown Toronto. His father wasn't around much. His mother did her best to provide for her four sons, but it wasn't easy. Sometimes the family's only income was a bi-weekly $40 cheque from a nearby Catholic church.

So it's not surprising that, now that he can, Mr. Long wants to help others avoid bleak holidays.

In 1990, not long after moving to Ottawa, Mr. Long organized a Christmas party -- complete with food, presents and Santa himself -- and ventured into Ottawa's poorer neighbourhoods with other volunteers to see if anybody wanted to come. About 100 did.

Eventually, he began bringing Christmas right to people's doors. His Christmas hampers contain a week's worth of groceries including turkey.

"And presents, too," said Mr. Long. "If we have them."

Last year, Mr. Long and his helpers raised $12,000 and brought more than 300 hampers to families. This year, he figures there will be closer to 500 families in need. He wants to raise between $15,000 and $20,000.

A recent Elvis tribute night at Sonny's Bar & Grill on Baxter Road brought in $450. Mr. Long is hoping to bring in much more this weekend at a two-day bake sale featuring live entertainment. It starts today and runs into the evening at Sonny's, which is across from the Pinecrest Shopping Centre. There will be other fundraisers at the restaurant every weekend until Christmas.

The food hampers will go out on Dec. 23 and 24. The annual children's Christmas party will take place at Sonny's on Dec. 8.

The Nicolitsis family has been receiving some help from friends -- a former boss and a former colleague occasionally swing by with groceries -- but mostly they're on their own.

"It's nice to know somebody cares," said Mr. Nicolitsis.