134 local families, 320 kids, 20 single mums, 3 single dads and 4 nans; these are the people that Central Coast Kids in Need (CCKIN) have delivered gifts to this Christmas.
The Bateau Bay based children’s charity has just completed its record breaking Wishing Tree Appeal, with hundreds of gifts donated by generous locals, as well as cash and gift cards.
It’s a Christmas miracle to the team at CCKIN, after the Coronavirus pandemic pushed the charity to the brink of collapse.
“We’ve been running the appeal for the past five years, but we really thought this year would be a struggle due to COVID-19, which is why we’ve all been blown away by the amount of donations we’ve received,” said CCKIN Treasurer, Lorraine Churchill.
And according to Churchill, kind-hearted locals spared no expense to make Christmas special for families in need.
“Every gift we’ve received has been of a high quality and we also received enough cash donations to purchase special toys for children with additional needs that need that extra support.
“The Wyong Roo’s Foundation also donated 10 professionally packed Christmas hampers for us to deliver and we also received three hampers as donations.
“They’ve all been adorned with gift cards and have been delivered to families doing it tough.
“The community here really is so generous, they show us that every year, but this Christmas I feel truly blessed to live on the Central Coast,” Churchill said.
Churchill was also pleased to report that CCKIN’s pandemic induced financial troubles were also finally at an end.
“We are now financially better off than we’ve ever been, and we owe it all to the community that rallied around us and the media outlets that helped share our story throughout the pandemic.
“CCKIN is planning for a bumper 2021.”
Dilon Luke