Maitland Senior Citizens Association collected enough pantry, bathroom and personal items to stock about 70 hampers for Carrie’s Place to give to people who have fallen on hard times over the festive period.

Carrie’s Place CEO Jan McDonald accepted the donation at a morning tea last week and took the opportunity to give the association’s members some insight into how Carrie’s Place helps people across the community.

“I cannot say thank you enough, because this is the sort of thing that keeps us going,” she said.

Hamper drive organiser Elizabeth McNally said the association decided to start the collection after she read Ms McDonald’s plea for donations in Fairfax Media in September.

“We pick somebody different every year [for donations],” Ms McNally said.

“There are things there for the little kids, tooth paste, tooth brushes – there’s everything [in the hampers].”