Aiming to create a better and brighter Christmas and New Year for our community’s most vulnerable, Kmart Australia and The Salvation Army have launched their 34th annual Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal.
The demand for services for people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness has increased by 10 per cent this year, and The Salvation Army has provided more than 154,000 sessions of care to date.
After a significantly challenging year, many Australians have experienced financial hardship for the first time, and physical and mental health pressures have increased the need for support.
Wendy Hateley from The Salvation Army ACT said the more people who donate to the Appeal, the more people they’ll be able to assist this Christmas.
“All the donations to the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal go to the local area, so everything donated in Queanbeyan and Canberra will go to people in Queanbeyan and Canberra. With Covid and the recent lockdown, there’s been an increase [in need] in this year, so it’s especially important to donate,” Ms Hateley said.
“The Appeal makes the difference between people in our community having a happy Christmas or a stressful and sad Christmas. We know the Canberra community is always very generous and we appreciate it – anything you can do to help your fellow Canberrans is perfect.”
Whether you drop off a new gift, provide essentials including books, school supplies, socks and towels, or make a financial contribution, any gesture goes a long way for those in need.
Kmart’s community relations advisor, Frankie Swithinbank, said they feel humbled seeing the local community supporting people during the festive season.
“It is so important to us at Kmart to be able to run such an impactful initative year after year and it’s exciting to include important new elements to the 2021 Appeal, such as the sustainable trees that people can adorn with handwritten stickers,” Ms Swithinbank said.
“We are humbled to see local groups coming together to support those who need it most.”
Both organisations are hoping to spread their ‘small gift, big heart’ message across Australia and funds raised will be given locally to responsive support services and emergency relief.
The Appeal is running from today, Monday 8 November, until Friday 24 December. Presents can be bought and dropped off at any Kmart store and financial contributions can be made either in-store or online.
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