A charity in Paisley which collects new gifts to give to parents and carers for their kids has seen referrals for their service increase by 125 per cent this year.
The Salvation Army finished receiving much-needed presents from kind-hearted donors for their Christmas Toy Appeal.
Now they are planning exactly where the haul of gifts will go to brighten up Christmas morning for hundreds of children across Renfrewshire.
The organisation takes referrals from anyone working with families, including social workers, home link workers, health visitors, churches, Renfrewshire Council and housing associations.
And captain Megan Kervin of the Paisley Salvation Army said that, this year, their list of families has grown greatly.
She explained that the total number of people from Renfrewshire referred to their scheme has risen from around 800 children in 2022 to more than 1,800 this year.
“It’s big numbers this year,” said Megan, who admitted that the cost-of-living crisis is a big factor in the massive increase in
referrals.
But, despite the worrying number of referrals, Megan and her team at their Mill Street hub were heartened by the number of people who responded to their toy appeal.
They were not sure at first if they were going to be able to receive enough items to accommodate the swelling list of referrals – but with just one week to go, the donations came pouring in.
“When we started it was bleak,” she said. “At the start, I wouldn’t have thought we’d have as much as half as what we’ve got now. But thankfully stuff has come in and we’ve done a bit of shopping ourselves. So, we’re much more optimistic now.”
Although they’ve officially finished the toy appeal – to allow themselves enough time to allocate the gifts that they have – Megan says that the Salvation Army will still be accepting any gifts that people wish to donate.
And, should they not used this year, they will be utilised for next year’s toy appeal instead. Toys donated must be brand new, with tags, and unwrapped.
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