We gave something back this Christmas

Caring schemes share goodwill

TOYS FOR TOTS

JULIE Callaghan was seven when she first received gifts from the Birmingham City Mission Toy Appeal.

Her dad had left, and her mum was really struggling to make ends meet.

Julie, now 57, recalled:

“Times were hard but I still remember the magic of waking that first Christmas morning to find a bundle of beautifully wrapped presents and tagged presents under the tree.”

She and her little brother received gifts via the appeal for a few years until their mum got back on her feet.

Now a grandmother, Julie, of Stechford, Birmingham, is a volunteer for the appeal, which delivers 14,000 toys to needy families across the city on Christmas Eve.

She gets customers at the branch of Costa she manages involved – and one year the mission had to send two vans to collect all the donated toys.

Julie added: “I can’t donate £10,000 worth of toys but I can get 10,000 people to donate one toy each.

“One little boy aged seven brought a toy transporter lorry filled with cars. He’d used his own pocket money.”

To donate new unwrapped toys, books, puzzles and toiletries visit www. birminghamcitymission.org.uk/ christmas-toylink/ or ring 0121 766 6603

APPEAL VOLUNTEER THE GIVING TREE

IT is the season when we wish for peace and goodwill to all.

And these uplifting stories of Christmas charity will surely melt even the coldest of hearts. Who knows – perhaps they will inspire you for next year...

HAMPERS OF HAPPINESS

DEALING with unreliable selfemployment income can be tricky, especially at Christmas.

Five years ago, single mum Genny Jones hit a difficult patch as the big day loomed.

Determined to do the best she could, she bought a few things from the pound shop so her sons, 18 and 19, would have something to open.

Lunch would have to be made up of odds and ends she could find in the freezer.

Genny, 57, an accountant and life coach (confidentqueen. wordpress.com) said: “On December 23 I arrived home from work to find a basket crammed with food had been delivered with a handwritten card that simply said: ‘Somebody cares – have a good Christmas’.”

The delivery had come via the Basket Brigade, which sends out family-sized Christmas dinner food parcels.

A friend invited Genny, of Gravesend, Kent, and her kids to Christmas lunch, so she handed the basket on to another family nearby that she knew was struggling.

Genny said: “The mother was so excited and the children’s faces lit up. That one basket touched so many people.

“Determined to pay back the gesture, I volunteered that year and have taken part ever since.”

To volunteer, donate and more, visit www.basketbrigade. org.uk

BASKET BRIGADE HELPER

SPECIAL DELIVERY Genny received aid and now helps out single toy to call their own means the world. A gift, given at Christmas, will make them start to realise that the world isn’t such a bad place after all. “That there are people in the world who do good things. “And that, in my opinion, is the start to their journey of recovery.” To join in the Kidsout Giving Tree initiative next year, find your nearest toy collection point, or to donate, visit www.kidsout.org. uk/givingtree

WISH LIST Tags give details of toys AN initiative from charity Kidsout encourages company staff to buy toys for kids fleeing domestic violence. Rather than playing Secret Santa in the office, bosses hang tags on the work tree that give a child’s name, age and a present they would like to receive. Workers pick a tag, buy the toy and put the present under the tree. Gifts are sent to mums, so they can choose whether to give the toy themselves or via Father Christmas. Last year, 20,000 toys were distributed this way. Kidsout boss Gordon Moulds said: “Our aim is for every child

in a Women’s Aid refuge, or safe house, to receive a box of 10 brand new toys. “Many families flee with nothing but the clothes on their backs. We try to ensure that every child leaving a refuge gets a toy box for their new start.” Such a simple gesture has a far-reaching impact. One refuge manager said: “It provides a sense of ownership. “For a child who has left everything behind, having just a

GIFT OF GIVING Julie and her grandchildren with presents

MAGICAL TIMES Julie, right, and her brother were sent toys