General News
7 December, 2023
Unboxing the gift of giving
As Christmas approaches, The Salvation Army’s annual reverse advent calendar initiative is nearing its end — with only a week to go and 100 boxes left, residents are being encouraged to donate to the cause. Now in its third year, the appeal...
As Christmas approaches, The Salvation Army’s annual reverse advent calendar initiative is nearing its end — with only a week to go and 100 boxes left, residents are being encouraged to donate to the cause.
Now in its third year, the appeal focuses on bringing festive cheer to all residents who might be doing it tough, with the number of people seeking assistance this time around higher, owing to the “cost of living crisis”.
Hoping to help them out, the Salvos is urging the Maryborough community to get on board its reverse advent calendar drive once again — locals can participate by collecting a box from the organisation’s centre and fill it up with food or treats until December 15.
“It’s about supporting our community by giving out food parcels over Christmas,” Maryborough Salvation Army captain Ronald Stobie said.
“This year has been a bit different because the uptake of boxes has been low but on the other hand, the need for support has gone up.
“Compared to 2022, there’s a lot less boxes that have gone out this year — the more we’re able to get the more we’re able to give out.”
This time last year, around 180 boxes had been picked up and filled by the community but the 2023 appeal has seen only 50 cartons collected.
“Our aim is to not only give people enough food for Christmas but to also sustain them a bit longer than that because a lot of the support agencies in the area are closed in that period,” Mr Stobie said.
“We’ve got a very generous community but this year has been tougher than previous years so we did expect a decrease in uptake but the reality is that the number of people coming in for help has increased.
“I’m hoping people will come in to grab some boxes in the next couple of days — I expected it to be lower this year but probably not as low as what has gone out so far.”
Mr Stobie said that residents could donate as much or as little as they wanted or were able to.
“This community is really amazing and it supports one another,” he said.
“I think this is just another opportunity for those that can assist people to do so. It’s an easy way to help others.
“If you have been thinking about it, we’d encourage you to do some extra shopping and bring in some food so we can further help our community. If someone wants to help with one item or three, that’s more than okay. We’ve got thousands of people in our community, if each household can give one or two items then that’s a significant amount of food.”
Locals can donate non-perishables items such as pasta, canned food, cereals, two minute noodles or a Christmas treat of their choice.
Last year, the Salvos distributed food from the boxes among about 200 households who had signed up for food assistance through the Maryborough Christmas cheer.
To pick up a reverse advent box, contact The Salvation Army on 5461-2789 or visit 27 Wills Street on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays between 9.30 am and 2 pm.