Words by Smiley Team
Ensuring all children have a happy Christmas, the charity, Family Action, is calling for donations to support their annual Toy Appeal. With the public’s support, they aim to distribute at least 9,000 presents to children and young people whose families face poverty, mental health issues and social isolation in the UK.
Already the charity has reached its target for corporate donations, with over 75 companies signing up to buy toys. Now its staff and volunteers hope members of the public will donate small sums of money to help them buy more presents for vulnerable children across the country.
“For many disadvantaged children, the gifts we send could be the only ones they receive, not only at Christmas but also throughout the whole year,” explains Corporate Partnerships & Events Manager for Family Action, Alicia Billing. “So the gifts they receive thanks to donations make a huge difference.”
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Every year the charity has received positive feedback from families for whom the presents bring cheer to children and massively reduce stress for parents or guardians.
“Last year, one family told us that the presents offered a huge relief,” says Alicia. “Over the festive period, there’s a lot of pressure to give children a magical Christmas. It's plastered over Facebook and the high streets, making some parents feel pressured to give their children expensive gifts that they can’t afford. The Toy Appeal really helps to remove that stress from them.”
The charity’s annual appeal supports children from birth till the age of 18. To accommodate this wide age range the charity carefully selects toys based on the interests of different age groups.
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For younger children, they select gifts such as toys, books or puzzles. While older children and teenagers get gift vouchers to give them the autonomy to choose something themselves.
Family Action works with over 60,000 families through over 200 community-based services. All presents bought in the Toy Appeal will go to children in these families experiencing issues such as financial difficulty, food insecurity and mental health challenges.
To add some magic to Christmas for disadvantaged children this year, donate to the Toy Appeal here.
