Our annual Christmas Community Gift Appeal is launching for its 11th year, supporting children and families across Staffordshire and Cheshire.
The Christmas Community Gift Appeal is a partnership between Aspire Housing, Tesco and Stoke City Community Trust which collects thousands of toys and games every year for local children’s charities across Staffordshire and Cheshire.
The appeal, which is in its eleventh year, invites shoppers to purchase a small toy or gift while they are doing their own shopping and then donate it to the appeal via one of the collection points placed in Tesco stores. Toys and gifts should be brand new and not wrapped in Christmas paper.
Sharon Battiste, Community Living Advisor at Aspire Housing, said: “The cost-of-living crisis has made Christmas especially difficult for families in Staffordshire, and we know a lot of people will sadly have to prioritise food and heating over toys and gifts this year.
“Our goal is to ensure as many children and families as possible in our area get to enjoy a magical Christmas. This is the eleventh year we’ve run the Community Gift Appeal, and every single year the support we get from our local communities is phenomenal.
“Though times are challenging, we see people repeatedly coming back to donate gifts for those in need. We’re always so grateful, and we know the recipients are absolutely over the moon every year.”
The Christmas Community Gift Appeal has collected more than 100,000 toys for local children since it launched in 2011, and last year collected over 3,000 toys, with donations going to 26 charities for local children.
A spokesperson from Tesco, commented: “This is our eleventh year running the community gift appeal with Aspire, and the support we offer local families is more important than ever. "We understand that the cost-of-living crisis has affected everyone, and we appreciate that all of our customers may not be able to donate this year, so we are especially grateful for each and every gift we receive. Any donation that people can give, no matter how small it may seem, will be joyfully received by a local family.
“A simple and kind act of purchasing an extra toy or gift during your shopping this year will create a magical Christmas for a local child.”
The appeal launched from Tuesday 16th November across local branches of Tesco, including Meir Park, Trent Vale, Kidsgrove, Congleton, Longton, Crewe, Uttoxeter, and Tesco Express stores throughout Staffordshire and Cheshire. Special toy donation trolleys will be situated at the entrances of all participating stores until 12th December, with shoppers encouraged to donate brand new toys and gifts in the weeks approaching Christmas.
The Christmas Community Gift Appeal will culminate in a handover event on Tuesday 13th December at Bet365 Stadium, where the collected gifts will be handed over to local charities ready to be distributed to the children.
You can also donate here > https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/communitygiftappeal?success=true
