The Giving Box appeal will encourage fellow Australians to buy gifts and make donations to help children who otherwise may have nothing to unwrap on Christmas morning. 

This Christmas, it is estimated that nearly 600,000 Australian children will be living in poverty. An additional 40,000 will be living in out-of-home care and away from their families for a range of reasons. 

UnitingCare said it expects an increased demand on their support services this Christmas, including emergency relief calls from families experiencing an unexpected crisis. 

With the holiday season just around the corner, an overwhelming number of families in Australia will be feeling anxiety over the lack of resources to buy Christmas gifts for their children. 

The Target and UnitingCare Giving Box appeal (formerly Operation Santa) was launched on November 6 and will run until December 12. 

More than 26,000 families across Australia benefitted last year from the appeal, and this year organisers are hoping to assist and support even more struggling families.

“There are many families in our communities who are going to find it really tough to provide gifts for their children this year,” said Karen Kong, local UnitingCare coordinator. 

“We rely on the generosity of the public to dig deep, so please support the appeal at Target Moree.

“ We make sure that all donated gifts go to local families.”