10 Jan

$65k of joy shared this Christmas

Imagine waking up on Christmas with no presents to unwrap and no special meal to enjoy with your loved ones.

Unfortunately, this is the reality for many households around the state. However thanks to the generosity of the community, hundreds of families were gifted with joy this year when Anglicare Southern Queensland received over $65,000 of in-kind donations.

Hundreds of hampers, toys, toiletries, nappies, bedding, school supplies, gift vouchers and more were collected.

Tiffany Berg, Head of Fundraising and Events said Christmas often adds extra stress to an already stretched budget as many families struggle to keep up with the cost of living.

“This year we received unprecedented requests for help. But thanks to the generosity of our donors we’re able to ensure hundreds of households could enjoy a happy Christmas.”

“It was particularly humbling to visit a family of six near Toowoomba who were struggling with a very small budget. When I arrived to deliver their donations the four little kids hid in their rooms as to not ruin the surprise of their presents. The smile and relief on the faces of those doing it tough, knowing Christmas will be a little less stressful makes this job particularly rewarding,” she said.

Bec Bushnell, Service Coordinator Gympie runs a hamper drive with St Paul’s School each year. The hamper drive provides a support pack for 40 families across the Brisbane, Ipswich and Wide Bay regions.

“We received so many donations this year, that we were also able to deliver gifts to sick children at the Caboolture and Redcliffe Hospital,” she said.

Thank you to the individuals, community groups, local businesses, schools and parishes that so generously helped us make Christmas a time of joy for our community. The donations stretched across the state but especially helped our Women’s Homelessness Services, our Youth Homelessness services Nathaniel House and INSYNC, and our Foster Care Services in Brisbane, Strathpine, Gympie, Stafford Nerang and Logan.

In particular, we would like to thank the following groups for their generosity this Christmas:

Can you help?

The need for support doesn’t stop at Christmas. Many families struggle to make ends meet when the kids head back to school. If you can help in any way, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us here.

St Pauls School Christmas

St Paul’s School students collecting donations