Christmas collection

The feast of love is the biggest, most intimate occasion of the year, mainly because it is about children. A child in need longs for beauty, goodness and treats just as much as their better-off peers. Our aim is that as few children as possible feel at Christmas that nobody loves them, and that is why they received no gift.

For more than 16 years we took part as activists in the Reformed Church Charity Service’s “Nyilas Misi received a parcel” campaign. After a few years we were no longer only collecting, sorting and packing donations — we also delivered the finished parcels in person to children in need. In 2020 our first independent collection appeared under the foundation, titled “A boxful of love”.

We pack the love boxes ourselves; knowing many of the children, we try to personalise what goes in so the person who receives it feels real joy. Many volunteers take part. We gather, sort and count the donations, then prepare the boxes together with volunteers and friends. Children and young teenagers draw on the finished boxes by hand. Gifts are handed out before Christmas so parents can slip them under the tree on Christmas Eve.

Collection usually runs from early November to mid-December; we always publish the details. You can join with an in-kind gift, by volunteering at packing, or with a targeted donation.

From the year we launched the collection independently, we have put together Christmas gift boxes for nearly 500 children every year.