Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal will match donations this weekend to make sure no one goes without a gift this Christmas

Charitable donations are more in need than ever this Christmas and one appeal will match any money given this last weekend before December 25.

With less than a week until Christmas, one major charity is urging Australians to dig deep to ensure no one goes without this December 25.

The nation’s largest gift giving drive, the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal, is doubling its efforts this weekend in a bid to give away 400,000 gifts this festive season.

On December 21 and 22 the retailer will match all monetary donations to the cause.

Now in its 37th year, the Wishing Tree is the nation’s largest and longest running gift collection drive and has distributed more than 14 million presents and food to the Salvation Army.

Giulia Coletti has been a recipient of the Kmart Wishing tree Christmas Appeal which supports the Salvation Army. She is now volunteering with the Salvos. Picture: Toby Zerna.

With costs of living continuing to rise, the Salvos are expecting more people will be relying on help this year. In its Red Shield Report 2024 the organisation found that 74 per cent of the 1500 Australians surveyed said they could not keep up with the rising cost of living and almost a third expected their financial situation to worsen.

The appeal is on track to again deliver a record number of gifts to those in need this year but The Salvos are urging those donating gifts to consider what teenagers might like as the majority of gifts this year have been aimed at younger children.

The charity said headphones, speakers, beauty products, arts and crafts, sporting equipment, musical instruments and gift cards are all popular gifts for older children.

Gifts do not need to be purchased from Kmart but they need to be unwrapped.

Originally published as Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal will match donations this weekend to make sure no one goes without a gift this Christmas