2009 Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal
The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal is Australia’s largest Christmas gift appeal. Thanks to the generosity of the Australian public, the Appeal has distributed more than 4.5 million gifts to people in need over the past 21 years.
Last year, the Appeal raised more than 370,000 gifts. In 2009, the Wishing Tree aims to collect more than 400,000 gifts nationally for distribution via our charity partners - The Salvation Army, The Brotherhood of St Laurence (Vic) and Charity Link (Inc).
The concept for the Wishing Tree Appeal first came about when an Adelaide store employee suggested Kmart use its network of stores as gift collection points, assisting welfare groups at Christmas time.
To participate in the Appeal simply place a gift (either wrapped or unwrapped) under the Christmas Wishing Tree located at the front of any Kmart store. Take a gift tag from the tree to specify the age and gender of a suitable recipient and place it with your gift.
Representatives from our charity partners collect the donated gifts on a regular basis for distribution to people in need.
Gifts do not need to be purchased from Kmart. Stores simply act as facilitators, enabling our charity partners to reach the wider public.
As an alternative to donating a gift, people can make cash contributions at any Kmart store register or place spare change in the coin collection boxes located in stores. These contributions are converted into Kmart gift cards and distributed by our charity partners, allowing Appeal recipients to choose their own Christmas gift.
The 2009 Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal will run from 12 November until Christmas Eve.
Now an Australian Christmas tradition, the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal is heavily relied upon by our charity partners to service the needs of their clients at Christmas time.