Uniting Care and Target Australia have issued a challenge to Parkes shire residents and Australians everywhere to be someone’s Santa by donating a gift or gift voucher in the lead up to Christmas.

The aim of Uniting Care and Target is to collect more than 130,000 gifts for those in need as part of the Share Christmas Gift Appeal.

Spokesperson Mary Stuart again urged local residents to support this year’s appeal.

“Together we can make a difference at Christmas in Parkes by donating a gift to someone less fortunate than ourselves,” Mary said.

“This year there will be one in nine Australians living in poverty. There will be children, teenagers, families and frail older people in our community who will not be able to afford to celebrate Christmas with gifts or special food.

“It’s great to know that the gifts donated at Target Parkes will go to those in need within or own community.”

Last year the appeal resulted in 250 gifts being donated at Parkes Target.

In the past 15 years, Australians have embraced Uniting Care’s Share Christmas Gift Appeal - donating more than 1.2 million gifts at Target for children, homeless teenagers, lonely older people and families in crisis.

Gifts and gift vouchers can be donated at any Target store nationwide until Christmas Eve.

Uniting Care volunteers will distribute them to those most in need in time for Christmas morning.

Uniting Care is one of Australia’s largest providers of community services, caring for the homeless, families in crisis and the frail, aged, sick, abused and neglected children.

Services are provided regardless of race, culture, religion, gender and age - their network reaching as far as the outback.

In Parkes, Uniting Care joins with the Parkes Interagency, whose volunteers so ably organise and carry out the distribution of the donated gifts in the St Vincent de Paul building.