The number of families in Orange struggling to afford Christmas presents for their children is up this year.
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Salvation Army Captain David Grounds said requests for help were rising.
“We’re probably seeing the number of families applying for assistance is slightly higher this year,” he said.
“About 50 families have asked for toy help.
“That’s 300 people.
“And there will be more people that will come to ask for assistance in the week before Christmas.”
A national report by the Salvation Army said there had been an increase in the number of children who will not get a Christmas present this year.
“The new research shows 1.6 million Australians with children under the age of 10 cannot provide a Christmas present to their children this year,” it said.
“In comparison to last year’s figures this is an increase of more than one million.”
Captain Grounds said the people seeking help included victims of domestic violence and people who had struggled to afford to pay their bills, including power bills, this year.
He said the charity had received gifts and toys from a variety of people and through shops.
“Our church becomes a toy-sorting centre,” he said.
“We try to split it up as evenly as we can.”
Captain Grounds said it was important that parents did not spend too much at Christmas to ensure they had funds for the rest of the year.
“People need to set a reasonable budget for Christmas,” he said.
He said that while children needed a gift Christmas should not become overly materialistic.
Captain Grounds said he and his family gave gifts that were also donations of aid packages to help people overseas.
“My family, my brothers and sisters, give a gift that makes a donation via a third world nation,” he said.
“It’s the gift that keeps on giving,” he said.
The Salvation Army’s website www.salvos.org.au has a range of gift options for people to buy with the proceeds to be used to provide the charity’s services.
The Wishes gift catalogue includes $20 presents for children, an $82 option for a family day out for people who rarely can afford a day out and $29 for a Christmas hamper for the needy.
Several groups in Orange have donated toys to the Salvos for Christmas.
The Friends of the Orange Gallery and the Friends of the Orange Museum groups collected presents from members at their joint Christmas party this week.
Member Liz Murphy said they wanted to help.
“We were concerned about the number of children who don’t get presents at Christmas,” she said.