Boxes of cheer: reverse advent returns

IT’S a way to make the festive season a whole lot brighter for those doing it tough, and it’s happening again.

The Bacchus Marsh Uniting Church is coordinating the pickup and collection of Reverse Advent Calendar boxes for the local area.

The program’s Iris Blythe explained how it all began in Ballarat, the brainchild of community-minded woman Heather Luttrell, and spread nationally.

“A Reverse Advent Calendar begins as an empty box and for 20 days in the lead-up to Christmas, you place one item of non-perishable food, toiletries, or Christmas treats, into the box,” Ms Blythe said.

“After 20 days, your filled Reverse Advent Calendar is returned to the church, where it will be given to food relief agencies to distribute to people in the immediate community who are experiencing food insecurity.

“This is the fifth year we have supported the program but it’s been going longer than that because it started in Ballarat about eight years ago.

“It’s very much a focus on Christmas about bringing some joy to people who might feel that nobody cares. It just might make life a little more pleasant for them.”

Ms Blythe said it’s important that all of the items placed in the Reverse Advent boxes are non-perishable and she said many local residents look forward to participating, with some neighbours joining forces to fill a box between them.

Boxes to fill are now available for pickup on Sunday mornings between 9am and 11.30am at St Andrews Uniting Church on Gisborne Road in Bacchus Marsh.

“It’s already picking up momentum now,” Ms Blythe said.

“Boxes have to come back by December 14 or December 15 and we then check the boxes before the agencies pick them up for distribution.

“I always encourage people to add something Christmassy – a box of chocolates, a tin of Christmas biscuits, something like that.

“Some people will even label their boxes gluten free and others might label for cultural sensitivities.

“Here in Bacchus Marsh our boxes are distributed by Soul Food, CAFS and Uniting.”

Anyone wanting more information can call Bacchus Marsh UCA on 0408 106 733.