Sounds of the Season donation by woman blows away CBC Toronto staff

The holidays are all about giving, which is why one generous donation made to CBC's Sounds of the Season(SOTS) charity driveis worth sharing.

• SOTS donations to benefit mobile food bank
• Ontario sees rise in seniors at food banks: report

The campaign raises money for Ontario food banks through a series of initiatives including a package called "Nerdfest" that provides guest tours of the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto.

An all-dayannual charity drive is also held at CBCevery holiday season to help collect donations.

I turned the cheque over and I almost passed out.Then I started screaming.- Joan Melanson, CBC Radio executive producer

"The whole idea behind this silent auction offering is a nerdy, behind-the-scenes look at what makes things go [and]how they go,"said ChuckJutras, production and operations manager forCBCToronto's TV, radioand online services.

"So there was a lovely mother and daughter combination who purchased the package and just through a series of scheduling miscues ... we weren't able to do it until this year," Jutras said.

"Chuck met with the winners of the package, I think they paid $300 or something, for a tour," said Joan Melanson, executive producer for CBC Radio in Toronto.

"They were really rabid CBC fans and they were absolutely lovely and it was great to have them in," Jutras said.

"I gave them a big tour of the station and showed them some of the behind-the-scenes stuff and they got to meet some of the great personalities like Gill Deacon and Carol Off and Dr. Brian Goldman."

Jutras said it was "an absolutely fantastic experience" and the duo appeared"absolutely over the moon" with their time spent at the tour.

Answering the call for help

An hour later, Melanson received a call at her office from security saying there's someone at the front door who wants to contribute to the Daily Bread Food Bank.

"I spoke with the lovely woman who just finished the tour with Chuck and was so impressed by the tour that Chuck gave them and the work that we're doing here at CBC," Melanson said.

The woman heard the call for help needed at the food bank and handed over a cheque.

Melanson ran over to Jutras and praised him for the impression he left on the woman, revealingthe cheque.

"When I saw the amount on it, I was completely blown away," Jutras said.

"This cheque was for $10,000," Melanson said with amazement. "And I think he was feeling pretty good about that."

• Food bank use near record level in 2013: report
• One-third of 2014 food bank users are kids: report

Jutras said he appreciates the "generosity of spirit" exemplified by the woman but also noted the impact the money will have on the lives of many who use the food bank.

Melansonwas thankful forthe cheque but she also wanted to make clear that all donations big or small speak volumes about the community and go a long way toward helping others.

More than $435,000 has already been raised for Sounds of the Seasonand that doesn't include Monday's hefty cheque.

If you haven't donated yet, there's still time as donations will be collected until December 31.

Go tocbc.ca/sots or visit the Canadian Broadcasting Centre at 250 Front Street West to drop off some canned goods and non-perishable food items.

Anything you can do to help is sure to make a difference for someone in need this holiday season.