Charities are appealing for donations now to help those in need at Christmas
With the cost-of-living crisis and rents sky-high, many Aussies are doing it tough right now. Christmas is almost a luxury, with presents and special celebration foods beyond the reach of those in need.
Thankfully, local charities, like Anglicare, St Vincents de Paul and Rotary have started to collect donations of new toys, non-perishable items and gift cards.
See our guide to find out where and when you can donate – and gift a happier Christmas to others.
Anglicare Toys ‘n’ Tucker
Jessica Bakic enjoys gifting families with a special Christmas through her work at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Chatswood. Partnering with the Toys ‘n’ Tucker Anglicare program, they provide people in need with Christmas food hampers and toys each year.
St Paul’s is now accepting donations of non-perishable food and new toys from the wider community. Last year, church volunteers packaged 30 boxes of donations, which were distributed by Anglicare to those in need.
Jessica says the cost-of-living crisis has led to an increased need in the community. “The boxes that we pack go out to local communities in NSW, and I wouldn’t even say it’s necessarily what we would call poor socio-economic areas. There are people living in these types of situations right here in Chatswood.”
Donations of brand-new toys, ideally in packaging, are welcome, as are non-perishable foods like long-life custard, tea and coffee, pasta, sauces and Christmas puddings. ‘We can’t accept meat and we can’t accept chocolate,’ says Jessica, St Paul’s operations manager.
Anglicare hopes to deliver 3,200 food and 5,600 toy hampers to those in need this year.
“We just want to bless them with everything that we have, to make sure they can experience the beauty of Christmas,” says Jessica.
Place your Toys ‘n’ Tucker donation in the basket outside St Paul’s Church, 1 View Street, Chatswood from now until 8 December. See toysntucker.org.au for details
Vinnies Christmas donations can provide a family with a happier Christmas
Vinnies Christmas giving
Lauren Leahy from the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) says Christmas is an unaffordable luxury for many.
As the northern suburbs support centre coordinator, Lauren sees ‘people like nurses and office administrators, people working in the local area, who just don’t have enough money at the end of every week to put food on the table because of rent prices here.’
“So Christmas time is very difficult, which is why our volunteers and members do toys and gifts for adults, as well as the hampers,” she says.
Vinnies is taking donations of non-perishable food items, including chocolates and savoury snacks. They also accept new toy donations, along with gift card, movie voucher and zoo pass donations.
These gifts go out to those in need across the North Sydney, Mosman and Lane Cove areas.
Vinnies volunteers work tirelessly to help those in need
Lauren has seen first-hand the joy these gifts bring, particularly to children. “Kids come in here with their parents and they’re happy to see the gifts and presents they can choose from,” she says. “I had one little boy go, ‘Mum, this place is amazing, can we come back next year?’”
She also stresses that those in need can reach out to Vinnies at any time, by calling 13 1812. “We are willing and very prepared to help,” she says.
Food and toy donations must be labelled ‘Christmas appeal,’ and can be dropped at the rear of Vinnies at 60 Alexander Street, Crows Nest, from 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Movie vouchers, zoo passes and gift cards can be taken to the Crows Nest store or emailed to: crowsnestvsc@vinnies.org.au Financial donations can be made at: donate.vinnies.org.au/donation-hub
The Tree of Joy can be found at Northbridge Plaza, and in other locations on the North Shore
Rotary Tree of Joy
Rotary Northbridge facilitates the collection of around 2,000 new toys each year to children in need through its Tree of Joy. Community services director Peter Grinter is pleased to announce the tree will return to Northbridge Plaza and other locations on the Lower North Shore this year. “With the cost of living, people just aren’t in a position to buy,” says Peter. “So one of the first things that suffers is either food, or presents for the kids.”
Peter explains that the Tree of Joy ‘is a way of enabling people to make a donation to the needy at Christmas time’. “We are really just acting as a facilitator to coordinate the whole process,” he says.
The Christmas trees are set up with tags, which describe what type of gift is needed, whether it is for a boy or girl, and what age the child is. The public then take the tag, buy the appropriate gift and leave it unwrapped under the Tree of Joy with the tag attached.
Toys are then distributed to children through the Starlight Foundation and the Narang Maru Aboriginal Community. Gifts should not be wrapped so they can be sorted and delivered to the most appropriate recipient.
The Northbridge Rotary Tree of Joy can be found from 30 November at Northbridge Plaza, Northbridge.
Chatswood Roseville Rotary Club trees will be located at: Chatswood Library; Crows Nest Community Centre; Coles at Westfield Chatswood and Roseville Golf Club.
Visit chatswoodrosevillerotary.org.au and northbridgerotary.org for more locations.
CHARITIES IN NEED
It’s in the Bag
Share the Dignity collects handbags filled with essential items like period products, toothpaste and soap to help people experiencing domestic violence or homelessness.
Drop donations to your nearest Bunnings store from 15 November to 1 December.
Visit sharethedignity.org.au for more information.
Gifts with Purpose
Get your co-workers together and join in a team-building activity to source items for a Christmas gift package tailored to a local family in a refuge or temporary housing with not-for-profit community-based service Women and Children First.
For more information, call 9971 4499, or email: sophie.g@wacf.org.au
Salvation Army Wishes
Visit salvationarmy.org.au/wishes/ to purchase a gift for a child; provide shelter for a night; or donate a Christmas lunch to someone.