As the festive season nears, City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin encourages the local community to consider the less fortunate by providing a donation to the 2023 Mount Gambier Community Mayor’s Christmas Appeal.
Demand for assistance from local support agencies is expected to be greater than ever this Christmas due to increasing cost of living pressures.
“Christmas is not always a happy time for everyone in our community and as Mayor, I would like to work towards ensuring that we enable as many people as possible to experience the joy of Christmas,” Mayor Martin said.
The local community raised more than $40,000 for the appeal last year, which is distributed to local support agencies including Uniting Care, ac.care, St Vincent de Paul and The Salvation Army to provide food hampers, vouchers and gifts through the Christmas Cheer program. Collectively, the agencies assisted approximately approximately 728 adults, 219 teenagers and more than 481 children in 2022.
“The agencies have advised me that the number of requests for assistance they are receiving on a daily basis has increased and therefore they predict the demand for this Christmas will be greater than ever before in the history of the appeal,” Mayor Martin said.
“Donors to the appeal have been so generous over the past few years but if the need for assistance keeps rising we may struggle to meet the demand and therefore I urge you to consider donating whatever you can.”
ac.care Homelessness and Community Services Senior Manager Trish Spark encouraged anyone who may find themselves struggling financially this Christmas to register for support from the appeal by visiting or contacting ac.care or the other supported agencies.
“We are expecting the levels of demand to be higher this year due to cost of living. We are currently assisting people with food and utilities bills that we haven’t seen before. Many people who are just able to manage throughout the year without support will also be requiring assistance at Christmas as they don’t have that extra money for toys and Christmas food,” Ms Spark said.
“Any donation of any size will be greatly appreciated by all organisations this year to ensure every child receives a toy and has a special Christmas dinner.”
I thank the agencies for the role they play in our community throughout the year and for joining with me at Christmas time to provide food hampers, gifts and vouchers to those in need, so that in some small way we can make a difference. – Mayor Martin
The City of Mount Gambier supports the Mount Gambier Community Mayor's Christmas Appeal by acting as a collection point for the agencies.
Donations can also be made through the following channels:
Media contact: City of Mount Gambier Media and Communications Coordinator Sharny McLean on 0413 798 327 or smclean@mountgambier.sa.gov.au
