Sharing Favourite Colchester Christmas Memories to Inspire Charity Gift Appeal
This festive season, homelessness and poverty charity Emmaus Colchester is asking supporters to reflect on their favourite Christmas memories as they appeal for donations of toys and games to support families across the city.
Operation Christmas, the charity’s annual gift-giving campaign, returns for its 16th year to share toys and games with children of low-income parents. Each year, Emmaus Colchester partners with local recruitment agency Reed to distribute hundreds of presents to local organisations and community groups.
Brian Cooke, CEO of Emmaus Colchester, shares: “Many of us are lucky enough to have good memories of Christmas and to remember receiving gifts from loved ones. However, for many across Colchester, Christmas brings added challenges, placing extra strain on families already coping with financial pressures. Operation Christmas helps to ease the burden for families and gives children Christmas gifts to remember. We’re always amazed by the incredible support from our partner, Reed, and our customers - and we know this year will be no different.”
Emmaus is appealing to the public to donate new, unused and unwrapped toys, games, gift vouchers, sweets and stationery to Emmaus Colchester before Wednesday 10 December.
Last year, Emmaus Colchester donated over 600 gifts to children, and it hopes to make this year’s appeal even bigger. Gifts will be wrapped at Emmaus Colchester and grouped into age categories before being distributed to four local charities: C3 Church, Boaz Project, Colchester Hospital Children’s Ward and Next Chapter. Emmaus will drop deliver presents to C3 Church during their Christmas Family Fun Day on Saturday, 13th December.
Ella Havell, Impact Lead for C3, shares “At C3 we meet many families who are doing everything they can just to get by, and Christmas can feel overwhelming. Thanks to Operation Christmas, children who may otherwise go without will have something to treasure – and that kindness reaches the parents too. It gives them dignity, a sense of self-worth, and the comfort of knowing they can give their family a joyful Christmas. Alongside our Christmas Banquet, Carol Service and Christmas in a Box initiative, these gifts help us surround families with love, support and hope during the season.”
Donations for Operation Christmas should be dropped off at Emmaus Warehouse, 4A Arthur Street, Colchester, CO2 7DT. Find out more about the appeal on Emmaus Colchester’s website: www.emmaus.org.uk/colchester