Help others in need

ONCE again Target Stores in conjunction with UnitingCare are asking for the support of the community to give gifts or gift vouchers to those in need this Christmas.
According to Carol Morrison from Granite Belt Uniting Church, the local Stanthorpe Target Country Store has a tree where people can support those people who need our help this Christmas.
Through Operation Santa, people can help ensure that children in families doing it tough do not miss out on the joy of opening a Christmas present by generously donating gifts at their local Target or Target Country store.
“Imagine not being able to provide Christmas presents for your children. This is the bleak prospect facing thousands of families this Christmas. UnitingCare needs your help to ensure this doesn’t happen here,” Operation Santa national coordinator Catherine Robertson said., .
How can the community help? Spot the Operation Santa tree at any Target or Target Country store, take a gift tag from the tree and donate a gift for someone in need. You can also donate a gift card by selecting a dollar amount tag from the tree and taking it to any Target store register, where a team member will organise the donation.
UnitingCare representatives will collect the gifts and ensure they are distributed to those in need in time for Christmas morning. All gifts are given to people in the local community where they were donated.
In its 22nd year Operation Santa is once again set to reach children, teenagers and older people across the country, who, without the support of the community, would not receive a gift this Christmas. Target Australia has kicked off the appeal with a generous donation of $250,000 worth of products and hopes this paves the way for the community to follow.
UnitingCare and Target are aiming to collect 100,000 gifts and $200,000 in gift cards to assist close to 60,000 families nationwide.
Operation Santa runs until Monday 23 December 2013. If you can’t make it into a Target store, you can still brighten the Christmas of someone in need by making an online donation to Operation Santa. For more information visit www.operationsanta.org.au