Adopt a Friend for Christmas Gift Giving Appeal

Maroondah Community Assist has been part of the Maroondah community since 1967.  For 51 years, this not-for-profit agency has been helping the local community with their services and providing emergency relief for those in need.

For the last 25 years, The Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School in Croydon Hills has been one of the many local groups who contribute to Maroondah Community Assist through their Adopt a Friend for Christmas Gift Giving Appeal.  Each year at Christmas time, the students of Good Shepherd are asked to bring in a small gift which is then distributed to families in need by Maroondah Community Assist.

The Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School’s Wellbeing Coordinator, Jacinta Fry, coordinates the program, and each year she is greeted with the same amount of enthusiasm and appreciation as the first time Good Shepherd donated.  Part of Jacinta’s role is transporting the gifts and donations to Maroondah Community Assist and she says the experience is always emotional and moving.  The staff are effusive in their thanks and on more than one occasion there have been tears shed over the multitude of donations.

It is easy to see how much of a difference Maroondah Community Assist will be able to make in the community by the relief and joy on their faces as trip after trip is made to bring the gifts inside. The generosity shown by the Good Shepherd community continues to increase with every passing year and we are blessed to be able to assist in a small way to make Christmas an enjoyable time for many families in need in our local area.

Penny Soong, Marketing and Communications Officer