Oxfam Ireland has called on people to donate their unwanted Christmas gifts when Oxfam shops reopen tomorrow, Tuesday.
Unpopular or duplicate Christmas gifts can be resold at Oxfam stores around the country to help raise vital funds for their life-saving work worldwide in 2022.
A survey commissioned by the charity in recent years revealed that 83% of adults receive an unwanted gift on Christmas morning.
Oxfam Ireland are welcoming the donation of these unwanted gifts to one of their 46 stores across the island of Ireland.
Items accepted for donation include clothes, beauty products, books, gadgets and jewellery, as well as bags and accessories, CDs, DVDs, homewares, soft furnishings, furniture (selected Oxfam shops only) and even wedding dresses.
The sale of these items will raise funds for Oxfam’s programmes, including ongoing emergency responses, as well as long-term projects that lift people out of poverty and campaigning that gives a voice to the vulnerable.
The charity’s Director of Trading Trevor Anderson appealed to the generosity of people this Christmas to donate their unwanted presents.
“Maybe Santa didn’t bring exactly what was on your Christmas list, but your donation could help could feed an orphaned child or struggling family,” he said.
“It only takes a moment to drop your unwanted gift into one of our stores but it could change a life forever.
“With 8 out of 10 adults receiving an unwanted gift on Christmas morning, we can help you find a new home for that gift. We’re asking you to think twice before you push that unwanted gift to the back of the wardrobe.
“No matter how small, your donation will help us to continue our vital work into 2022.”
How donations can help save lives
The sale of an unwanted top for €8/£6 could help purify around 2,000 litres of water, making it safe to drink for South Sudanese families living in makeshift camps.
The sale of an unopened cosmetics set sold for €15/£11 could give a family in the Democratic Republic of Congo an eco-friendly efficient stove, designed to be hotter than traditional cooking methods while using only half the wood.
That gift of a necklace that just isn’t to your taste sold for €30/£24 could feed a child orphaned by AIDS in Malawi for three and a half months.
Find a full list of Oxfam stores here.
