Ways to give back this Christmas

The magic of Christmas is not very magical when you can’t feed your children, when you’re living with domestic violence, or when you have a child in hospital. To help you give back this Christmas, we’ve done a round-up of charities doing incredible work to support families across Aotearoa. If you know of a great project doing good in your community, let us know in the comments!

If you’ve got a Gift Account with The Gift Trust, you can support any of these causes easily – just make a request in My Gift Account, or send us an email.

From everyone at The Gift Trust, have a happy and generous Christmas – Meri Kirihimete!

Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau

Christmas Joy Store

The Christmas Joy Store is New Zealand’s first social toy store that provides the gift of kindness and the dignity of choice. The Joy Store invites referred parents and caregivers to choose gifts and treats for their children they know they’ll love, off the shelves, shopping for free.

Auckland Angels

Auckland Angels is the Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai campaign to donate food, gifts and funds collected from their incredible community each Christmas. Every donation helps bring dignity to families who, after covering the basics like rent and power, will have little or nothing left to put food on the table or presents under the tree.

Starship Hospital Foundation

For some children, Starship is where they need to be, even at Christmas, and your support helps the hospital provide the world-class paediatric care these children urgently need. There are a number of ways you can help tamariki, whānau and staff at Starship this Christmas – find out more on their website.

Wellington / Te Whanganui-a-Tara

Hutt Santas: Our Grassroots Secret Santa

This project is a way to spread Christmas magic to children and families in Lower Hutt. It started in 2019 as requests on a community Facebook group, and has developed organically as a response to the needs of the community. Children benefit from receiving personalised presents and being supported by their community, and Santas get to create Christmas magic, build community, and increase hauora.

Wellington City Mission

The Wellington City Mission is hosting a pop-up toy shop at Whakamaru (their new facility in Mount Cook) this year, and they have a shopping list for the kids! Give some kids an awesome Christmas with your gift of toys.

Society of St Vincent de Paul

The Vinnies Welfare & Service Hub transforms into a festive toy shop over December, where unwrapped, donated gifts for children aged 0-16 years, are displayed for whānau to come and choose from.

Compassion Soup Kitchen – Te Pūaroha

At the heart of the Compassion Soup Kitchen is something we all long for — warmth, connection, and a shared meal. Whether it’s the middle of winter or the height of the festive season, the Compassion Soup Kitchen remains a place of dignity, nourishment, and aroha. They are running their annual appeal now.

Nelson / Whakatū

The Big Give

The Big Give is the Fifeshire Foundation’s annual appeal to ensure families in need have a joyful Christmas. They welcome donations to help hundreds of families celebrate without worry. With your help, The Big Give will bring some joy to families in extreme hardship and poverty this Christmas.

Age Concern

Age Concern Nelson Tasman are now planning for their annual Christmas Care Package campaign, and they need your help to spread some joy and support to older members of their community this holiday season. Every year, the group gather together non-perishable foods, toiletries, little treats and more, wrap them up with care, and hand-deliver around 60 special packages to vulnerable older adults who may otherwise feel isolated or overlooked. Donations make a real difference.

Christchurch / Ōtautahi

Christchurch City Mission

The Mission aims to feed 1,600 families this Christmas – support the many projects they host with an online donation.

One Mother to Another

One Mother to Another cares for parents and whānau going through some of life’s hardest moments, like having a baby or child in hospital, or mothers struggling with their mental health. Give a little hope this Christmas – because no parent should feel alone at their child’s hospital bedside.

Dunedin / Ōtepōti

Dunedin Community Christmas Dinner

Dunedin’s Community Christmas Dinner is a free event everyone is welcome to attend. It’s hosted at Dunedin Town Hall and delivered for about 480 guests with support of 180 volunteers. The Dinner has been running in its current form for over a decade and has a history going back much further. It’s a high class affair, with table service, table linen, and excellent entertainment.

Nationwide

Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou

Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou walk alongside tamariki and families impacted by whānau incarceration, providing mentorship, wraparound social work, advocacy and a sense of community. The holiday season brings significant financial pressure, with rising costs often standing in the way of a truly joyful Christmas. For tamariki with a parent in prison, providing the magic of the holidays is often overshadowed by the everyday challenges they face. Help them make this time of year special.

The Climatics

This holiday season, choosing climate action over another candle is pretty rock and roll. Donate to The Climatics before December 11th, and not only will you get a fantastic gift certificate for the hard-to-buy-for person in your life, but your donation will be also doubled by a $5,000 match fund.

Christmas Shoebox Project

The aim of the Christmas Shoebox Project is to ensure Kiwi kids living in hardship receive the same positive memories and educational benefits from Christmas gifts that their peers will. The team work with community charities and organisations, throughout Aotearoa, who identify children and families who need support at Christmas time.

Ronald McDonald House

Christmas is a time for being at home, surrounded by love, laughter and the people who matter most. But for many Kiwi families, home this Christmas will be a hospital ward – and a Ronald McDonald House.

Salvation Army Foodbanks

This Christmas, food banks are seeing more families than ever—families doing their best, yet still struggling to put a festive meal on the table. For many, a Christmas roast feels out of reach. But that one meal—warm, nourishing, and shared—can bring back the magic of the season. Join the Sallies as they give the gift of a roast dinner to families around the country this Christmas.

Women’s Refuge

Tragically, domestic violence increases over Christmas. Support women and children leaving an unsafe home this Christmas by supporting the Women’s Refuge.

Pet Refuge

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of family violence in the OECD, and in 70% of violent households, pets are also abused. More than half of victims delay leaving because they fear for their pet’s safety. Hundreds stay trapped because they have nowhere safe for their pets. Share the joy of Christmas by sending a festive e-card to your loved ones, while making a difference for pets through a donation to Pet Refuge. A season of giving, at home and in the shelter.

Foster Hope

Every year Foster Hope collects new, unwrapped Christmas presents for children in care throughout New Zealand. Many children enter emergency service facilities during the Christmas period, and Foster Hope needs your support. Sadly, the festive season is a peak time for child protection agencies that are faced daily with the reality and severity of child abuse, neglect, and crisis in our local communities. Foster Hope’s aim is to bring a little bit of sunshine and hope to our most vulnerable children. If you would like to donate a present (unwrapped, please) check their drop-off points throughout the country.

Fundsorter

This Christmas, give back twice: buy a Fundsorter subscription for a charity or cause you care about, and help a local social enterprise that’s making the funding landscape easier and more equitable. Your gift helps a community organisation try a new tool, explore different approaches to funding, and spend more time on the work that matters.

Christmas Box

Christmas Box is a charity designed to support tamariki, whānau and communities in need at Christmas. Through their nationwide network, they provide food essentials and festive treats, care and connection to thousands of Kiwi families living in hardship every year.

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— Gillian, Gift Trust donor

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