Maitland Region Community Support and Maitland City Council call for Christmas donations

This is why Maitland City Council has teamed up with Maitland Region Community Support (formerly the Neighbourhood Centre) to lend a hand to those in need with the Mayor's Christmas Toy and Food Appeal.

Council and MRCS are calling for donations of long-life and Christmas related food items, toys and other goodies to fill hampers which will be donated to families in need across the city.

East Maitland, Maitland, Rutherford and Thornton libraries will be set up to accept items at marked drop off areas from now until Friday, December 9.

In other news:

The goal is to get a huge 400 Christmas hampers out to those in need.

Council is contributing $12,000 in financial support to the cause, which Ms Adams said will be turned into $30 gift cards for the hampers.

"Every year Maitland Region Community Support do Christmas hampers for the community, last year we exceeded 300 and this year we are anticipating around 400 hampers," Ms Adams said.

Ms Adams said MRCS gives the hampers out through service and school referral, where schools and services identify people who they think would benefit from receiving a hamper.

For this particular drive, MRCS is calling for luxury food donations.

"It's the Christmas extras, if you've got someone coming over what can we pull out, it might be some corn chips and salsa or it might be a bag of lollies or a box of favourites," Ms Adams said.

"Something a bit special so people can have something to nibble on."

Maitland Mayor Philip Penfold said for his first full Christmas season as mayor he wanted to establish the Mayor's Christmas Toy and Food Appeal to help MRCS, and utilise the city's four well-placed libraries.

"MRCS have been lending a hand to the people of Maitland with Christmas hampers for more than 10 years now, and it's great for us to be supporting this incredible initiative," he said.

"I'd encourage everyone, if you're able to, to pitch in with whatever you can and donate some items to the appeal at any four of our libraries, and help those in need during tough times."

All toys will be donated to the Susan Roskell Toy Drive that distributes to organisations all around the region, including MRCS.

To donate to the Mayor's Christmas Toy and Food Appeal, visit any one of the four Maitland Libraries branches at East Maitland, Maitland, Rutherford or Thornton.

To offer financial support or discuss business support, call MRCS on 4932 0950.