This holiday season is a great chance to teach your kids the true spirit of giving. Whether you donate goods, drop off a hamper or give up an hour of your time, there are plenty of ways for families around Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, the Hunter and Port Stephens to support someone doing it tough this Christmas.
No matter how old your kids are, getting them involved in choosing what to donate is a simple way to show them that small acts of giving go a long way.
Good to Know
Most donation windows open in early November and close in the first half of December, so it pays to get organised early. Almost every appeal below asks for new, unwrapped items only, and most also accept a monetary donation if buying and dropping off items isn’t practical for your family. Dates can shift slightly year to year, so if you’re planning ahead, it’s worth a quick check of the organisation’s website closer to the date.
Jump to: Toy and Gift Drives | Support Domestic and Family Violence Services | Food and Hamper Appeals | Hands-On Ways to Give Back | Give Without Spending | FAQs
Toy and Gift Drives
Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal
Australia’s largest and longest-running Christmas gift appeal runs from Tuesday 10 November to Thursday 24 December 2026. Pick up a gift tag at the Wishing Tree station in your local Kmart, choose a gift to suit the age bracket, and place it under the tree. You can also donate online, scan a tag at the register for a monetary contribution, or use the Click and Collect option at any Kmart store. Gifts don’t need to be purchased at Kmart or wrapped, though used items can’t be accepted. Local participating stores include Glendale, Kotara, Maitland, Salamander Bay and Waratah.
Bikers For Kids Newcastle Toy Run
Join thousands of motorbikes as they ride into Connolly Park, Carrington for the region’s biggest community Christmas event. The Bikers For Kids Newcastle Toy Run will be held on Sunday 6 December 2026. Riders meet from 8am at Ballast Park, Stockton, with departure at 10am sharp, arriving at Connolly Park for a free Family Day with face painting, market stalls, food trucks and live music. Donating a toy or a monetary contribution to the Toy Run supports the Salvation Army’s local Christmas Appeal, and it’s the oldest and only RMS and police-approved toy run of its kind in Australia.
Share the Dignity: It’s In The Bag
Donate a bag as part of the Share The Dignity’s It’s In The Bag campaign. Fill a bag (new or good quality secondhand) with essentials for a woman or girl in need, such as toiletries, sanitary products and a few special extras like makeup or a book. Choose from an Adult bag, Teen bag (tagged with a yellow ribbon) or Mum & Bub bag (tagged with a purple ribbon). Drop your bag at a collection box at your local Bunnings between 6 and 22 November 2026. Can’t get to Bunnings? You can sponsor a bag online instead and Share the Dignity will pack and deliver it for you.
Maitland Mayor’s Christmas Toy and Food Appeal
Maitland City Council partners with Maitland Region Community Support and the Susan Roskell Toy Drive each year to fill Christmas hampers for local families. Donations of nonperishable and Christmas-themed food, plus new unwrapped toys and gifts, can be dropped at any Maitland Libraries branch (Maitland, East Maitland, Rutherford or Thornton) or the Maitland Administration Centre. The appeal typically opens in late October and runs through to late November. Exact 2026 dates hadn’t been published at the time of writing, so check the Maitland City Council or My Maitland website closer to the date.
Lake Macquarie Mayor’s Christmas Appeal
Lake Macquarie City Council runs its own Christmas Appeal each year, collecting toys, food and gifts for local families doing it tough, in partnership with Newcastle Anglican’s Samaritans and local schools. Suggested donations include toiletry packs, gift cards, sunscreen, board games and beach towels for kids. Drop-offs are usually accepted at Lake Mac Libraries branches and the council’s administration building at Speers Point, with the appeal typically closing in mid-December. Check the Lake Macquarie City Council website for this year’s exact dates and locations.
We Care Connect Christmas Gift Appeal
We Care Connect supports children living in poverty across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, the Hunter and Central Coast, and their Christmas appeal focuses on new toys for kids aged newborn to 18, with the greatest need usually for babies and toddlers and for teens aged 13 to 18. The appeal generally opens in early November and closes in the first week of December. Suggested gifts include soft toys, board books and bath toys for littlies, and gift cards, headphones, journals and sports gear for teens. Check the We Care Connect website for current drop-off partners and this year’s cut-off date.
Dullboy’s Christmas Tree Donation Drop
Dullboy’s Social Co in Warners Bay runs an annual toy and gift card donation drive supporting local domestic violence service Got Your Back Sista, with a focus on gifts suitable for kids aged 10 and up. Drop unwrapped donations to the friendly front counter team throughout November and into early December.
Salvation Army Christmas Toy Drive
If a trip to Kmart isn’t practical, the Salvos also collect new, unwrapped toys through local Newcastle Permanent and Greater Bank branches each December. It’s a handy drop-off option if you’re already banking in person, with the appeal usually closing in the two weeks before Christmas. Check with your local branch for this year’s collection dates.
John Hunter Children’s Hospital Joy of Giving Appeal
For kids spending Christmas in hospital, the John Hunter Children’s Hospital runs its Joy of Giving Appeal each festive season, bringing special visits from firefighters, sports players and even Santa, along with donated gifts and craft activities for patients and their families. The appeal generally runs from early December through to Christmas Day. Check with John Hunter Children’s Hospital or Hunter New England Health for this year’s donation details.
Support Domestic and Family Violence Services
Several local services supporting women, children and families escaping domestic violence run their own Christmas appeals. Most prefer new, unopened gifts, though some now prefer monetary donations so they can tailor support to each family’s needs.
Warlga Ngurra Women’s and Children’s Refuge (Raymond Terrace) collects new, unopened gifts for babies, children, teens and adults, with drop-off on weekdays between 10am and 3pm in the lead-up to early December. Call 4072 1079 for current details.
Port Stephens Family and Neighbourhood Services (PSFANS) runs a Toy Appeal each year supporting local children and young people experiencing hardship, homelessness or family violence. Check their website for this year’s how-to-help details.
Nova for Women and Children runs a Care at Christmas Appeal, now favouring financial contributions over toys and gifts so they can support women and children throughout the year, not just at Christmas.
Jenny’s Place offers two ways to help: an online Toy Drive (orders usually need to be placed by mid-November) or a general Christmas Appeal. Check their site for this year’s ordering cut-off.
Carrie’s Place supports children aged 0 to 19 and their families across Maitland and the Lower Hunter, and has shifted from traditional food hampers to Groceries Only Gift Cards so families can shop for what they actually need. They also put together toy and gift hampers, with popular items including sporting equipment, art supplies, board games, books and beach towels.
Food and Hamper Appeals
Soul Hub Christmas Appeal
Soul Hub supports some of Newcastle’s most vulnerable people, relying entirely on community and financial donations rather than government funding (donations of $2 or more are tax deductible). You can also put together a Soul Christmas Hamper of Hope using their shopping list, with hampers usually accepted from 1 November through to mid-December, Monday to Thursday between 7am and 2pm, and early mornings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Check Soul Hub’s website for this year’s exact hamper delivery window.
Salvation Army Wish Cards
Buy a Wish gift card from the Salvation Army to fund practical support for people in need, such as a Christmas stocking for a child, a Christmas lunch hamper for a family, or a street pack for someone experiencing homelessness.
Hands-On Ways to Give Back
Get your presents wrapped for a gold coin donation. Head to the Christmas gift wrapping station at Glendale City Centre, run in partnership with the Mark Hughes Foundation, usually open through the second half of December. A volunteer will wrap your gifts for a gold coin donation. Check Glendale City Centre’s socials for this year’s exact dates and hours.
Support Waves for Wishes. Surf in a festive outfit or cheer from the sand at Dixon Park to support Make-A-Wish Australia, usually held in December in the lead-up to Christmas. Supported by She and the Sea Boardriders and Merewether Markets, the event helps fund life-changing wishes for local kids with critical illnesses.
Volunteer at a community garden. A great way for kids to learn how food grows and meet neighbours through working bees. There are community gardens dotted right across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
Help someone in your street. You don’t have to go far to give back. Mowing an elderly neighbour’s lawn, picking up groceries or dropping off a home-cooked meal are simple ways to model generosity for your kids.
Support Hunter Wildlife Rescue. If your kids are more animal-lovers than anything else, Hunter Wildlife Rescue relies entirely on public donations to care for injured, sick and orphaned native wildlife across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock and Singleton. It’s a lovely option for families who want to give back to local wildlife rather than people this Christmas, and donations are welcome year-round.
Give Without Spending
Recycle cans and bottles through Return and Earn. Return your eligible containers to a reverse vending machine and choose to donate your 10c refund to a not-for-profit, sports club or school instead of taking the cash. The recipients are rotated every three months.
Donate to a free community pantry. Take what you need, leave what you can. Community pantries around the region accept tinned food, pasta, rice, baby food, no-prep meals and toiletries year-round, with locations in Newcastle CBD (Christ Church Cathedral), Hamilton (Awaba Park), Merewether (outside Blue Door Cafe), Stockton and Tilligerry Peninsula.
Do you have other tips to give back this holiday season? Email us.