Hundreds For Thousands needs your help to bring joy this Christmas
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Gungahlin resident Natalie Tanchevski is attempting something truly remarkable this Christmas. But to succeed, she needs your help.
It’s a tale to warm the heart of any Christmas grinch. A Gungahlin mum of two who decides to raise $10,000 for 100 families in just three weeks—and smashes her goal, raising $16,000 for those in need during December 2019.
Now, one year on, Natalie Tanchevski is aiming higher—and she needs your help to get there.
Hundreds For Thousands is a fundraising drive that aims to gift $100 grocery vouchers to families in need this Christmas through the Salvos—but with less than two weeks left of fundraising, Natalie is calling on Canberrans to help them reach their goal of $100,000.
“So far, we have raised almost $30,000, which I am very grateful for, but there is still a long way to go to ensure that all 1000 families receive a grocery gift card,” says Natalie.
“I feel a big responsibility to deliver on what I have set out to do. I really don’t want to let these families down. I am not afraid or too proud to ask for help, this Is not about me, it’s about ensuring that all 1000 families in need get a grocery gift card.
“So, Canberra, I am kindly asking for your help. Your help to get us to our $100,000 goal by Sunday 20 December. It’s not over yet and I will definitely keep pushing right until the end.”
Natalie was inspired to create Hundreds For Thousands after getting to know the important work that Salvos Gungahlin do across her local area—especially at Christmas time.
But for this year’s fundraiser, Natalie wanted to make sure everyone could get involved, even those living over the ACT border. This resulted in all six ACT Salvos branches coming onboard, as well as neighbouring regional Salvos from Cooma, Yass, Queanbeyan and Goulburn, with 10 branches in total raising for their local areas.
If you’ve been looking for a way to donate as hyper-locally as possible this Christmas—this is it.
“I think it’s really important for people to know that they’re helping their community and donating locally—and that the money is going to help people who might be living next door to them,” says Natalie. “We just don’t know who is struggling.”
When you click onto the Hundreds for Thousands donation page, you’re greeted with the option of donating to any of the 10 Salvos. This means you can donate to your local centre—or even put your donation towards a Salvos who isn’t getting as much attention.
“All the money goes directly into the accounts of your chosen Salvos centre, and they use that money to buy grocery gift cards to gift to those in need in the week leading up to Christmas,” says Natalie.
Natalie says the result has been nothing short of heart-warming, and Captain Dominic Wallis, Corps Officer at Gungahlin Salvation Army, couldn’t agree more.
Dominic has seen first-hand the impact 2020’s numerous challenges have had on Canberra’s most vulnerable and encourages Canberrans to dig deep to help give their communities a more joyous Christmas this December.
“After the year we’ve had, this means we can help share the Christmas spirit and lift the burden on people,” he says, adding that thanks to Natalie’s fundraising in 2019, Salvos Gungahlin was able to almost double the value of what they gave to Canberrans in need at Christmas. A huge difference to those who need it most.
“We all need to experience joy, given everything we’ve encountered this year,” says Dominic. “This will help us bring joy to someone’s Christmas, so they don’t have to worry about the burden of putting something on the table.”
As if you needed another excuse to support Hundreds For Thousands, the Coordinate Christmas Light Trail will also be fundraising across 14–18 December when they bring live music to some of Canberra’s best Christmas light displays!
So stay tuned for more information on how you can raise money while enjoying some COVID-safe live music and festive displays.
You can donate to Hundreds For Thousands until 20 December.
HOW TO DONATE TO HUNDREDS FOR THOUSANDS
- Visit hundredsforthousands.salvationarmy.org.au
- Select which Salvos branch you would like to donate to
- Help one or more families and donate!
- Share the campaign to your channels and encourage others to support their local Salvos centre
- Like the page on Facebook and share with your channels
OTHER WAYS TO HELP THE SALVOS THIS CHRISTMAS
- The Salvation Army Christmas appeal: org.au/wishes
- Keep an eye out for the Kmart wishing tree at your local Kmart
- You can donate books, clothing, linen and toys to a variety of Salvos across Canberra. Click here for more information.
Photography: Hayley Carberry Photography
HerCanberra is a proud supporter of Hundreds For Thousands
