Making booties in appreciation

90-year-old Nola Kitchen (left) with her daughter Suzy Wallace (behind Nola), Major Susan Jarvis (right) and Gayle Roberts (centre), with some of the booties they have made to acknowledge givers. Photo / Paul Brooks

Celebrating Christmas this year will be a big challenge for many families, with financial hardship limiting enjoyment of the season.
Thank goodness for the Salvation Army.

Last year they gave out 75 gifts to children and Christmas food hampers to 96 families. At their Trafalgar Square 'Giving Tree', good people donated more than $850 and left about 35 gifts.

This year there are going to be some changes, says Gayle Roberts, Community Ministries Development Manager.
For example, in place of hampers will be food vouchers so families can choose their own Christmas menu.

Since July Gayle and her teams have been working toward Christmas, and one component has been a labour of creative love. Woollen booties, or "Santa socks" in Christmas colours stuffed with sweets and goodies. The booties are for the givers: a small token of appreciation.
"When I had the feedback from last year, in a debrief meeting, one of the comments, particularly from Paddy Haira, was it would be lovely if we had something to give back when people gave gifts or money. It would be nice to acknowledge it in some way."

Gayle formerly worked for Barnados and she had knitted booties for all her children, so the idea and format came together.
So Gayle and a few other knitters produced the booties and others like 90-year-old Nola Kitchen sewed the booties together. Then came the job of stuffing them with goodies.
Some will be pegged on the Giving Tree as decorations.
"We have more than 200 of them," says Gayle.

The Giving Tree was set up at Trafalgar Square on Monday and Salvation Army people will be on hand to explain how it works.
"The tree sits on a table, and when people come up to the tree we're just going to offer them [a bootie], choose one if you want it, they'll be given out like that, just in exchange or as an acknowledgement."
They will also be giving out colouring-in competitions to children.
"And we've got some little gingerbread men as well."

To donate to the Giving Tree, people can either buy and give gifts, or they can donate money or Christmas food.
The Giving Tree will be outside Countdown at Trafalgar Square until Saturday between 10 and 2pm.

On Saturday a Salvation Army choral group will be in Trafalgar Square, entertaining shoppers and bringing Christmas cheer. The Salvation Army mascot, 'Shieldy', will be part of the entertainment.

Other collection points for donated gifts, food or money will be at the Family Store in Victoria Ave and the Salvation Army Church office at 4 Indus St. If mobility is a problem, call the Salvation Army on 021 955 293 to arrange collection.