Monica Kearney from Big W in Parkes at the Giving Tree. The Parkes branch has partnered with Vinnies, and customers can donate gifts and place them under the tree.
Ways To Help Others At Christmas:
• BIG W has launched its in store Giving Tree initiative, providing customers an opportunity to donate gifts in support of families who need a little extra help. BIG W’s charity partner, Good360 Australia, has matched all 176 stores with a local charity, enabling the Giving Tree program to support over 105 organisations across Australia, including women’s shelters, children and youth at risk, schools, homeless shelters and children in hospital. In addition to its Giving Trees, BIG W is again supporting five Children Hospitals around the country by selling $2 and $5 tokens to raise much needed funds. Customers can place unwrapped gifts under their local BIG W Giving Tree or purchase a Christmas Token from now until Christmas Eve. For more information, visit www.bigw.com.au
• Purchase your Christmas gifts from the CanAssist store in Court Street to help boost the funds of CanAsisst and the wonderful assistance they provide to locals with cancer.
• Elders Parkes and Forbes have teamed up with The Salvation Army for a Christmas Toy Drive. The Salvation Army will ensure that gifts are delivered to all children this Christmas. Gifts can be placed under the trees at the two offices with a label to either boy or girl and an approximate age. Call 6862 922 for more information.
• Parkes Uniting Church and Parkes Catholic Church are collecting/accepting Christmas gifts and donations to be handed to those in need.
• Coles has a $2 donation you can make through Redkite to help support children with cancer and their families, and to SecondBite to provide meals for Australians who need it most. Purchase in store or online.
• Woolworths Parkes is part of a donation target to raise the equivalent of seven million meals this Christmas in support of OzHarvest. Purchase a 50c token in store or online, or choose to round up your purchase to the nearest dollar.
• Help farmers by giving a donation to Aussie Helpers’ ‘Give back to the Outback’ Christmas appeal. All proceeds will go to purchasing Visa gift cards and/or fuel cards for those in need. Last year Aussie Helpers delivered 1,000 Christmas hampers and $27,000 in Visa gift cards and fuel vouchers to Aussie farmers across the country. For more information visit aussiehelpers.org.au.
Support This Festive Season:
• The holiday season can pose many challenges for people affected by cancer. The Cancer Council 13 11 20 telephone information and support service is free and confidential. Specially trained health professional staff are available to answer questions about cancer, offering emotional and practical support for anyone affected by cancer – including cancer patients, people living with cancer, their families, carers and friends, teachers, students, and healthcare professionals. If you call 13 11 20, one of our consultants will listen to your situation, assess your individual needs and make appropriate requests for services.
• R U OK? want to remind everyone that Christmas can be a difficult time for many Australians and encourage them to make a real difference in someone’s life by giving the ‘Gift of Conversation’. Free downloadable resources are available on the R U OK? website including suggestions on how best to support someone from Suicidologist and Registered Psychologist Annie Fardell Hartley: Make the time to check in with them; Acknowledge it – let them know it’s OK to feel overwhelmed, sad, or stressed at this time of the year; Be gentle – If someone doesn’t feel able to celebrate in the same way as they have in the past, give them space; Old traditions and new traditions – If old traditions no longer bring joy perhaps think about new traditions, you can set up to mark the season; Offer practical support – Whether it is making a cuppa, helping with childcare, or cooking a meal, small gestures can be comforting for those finding the season difficult.‘Don’t let it be a silent night: Give the ‘Gift of Conversation’. Learn how at www.ruok.org.au For support at any time of day or night, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.