Instant Neighbour’s Giving Tree appeal, sponsored by Chevron and supported by many local businesses and the general public, distributes new toys to children across the City & Shire who would otherwise not receive a gift at Christmas.
Instant Neighbour works with social work departments, community projects, and other similar organisations across Aberdeen City and Shire. Both Instant Neighbour and these organisations work with parents and families living in very difficult situations; many of these families are unable to afford to buy Christmas gifts for their children. The Giving Tree ensures that these children will not go without gifts at Christmas.
These organisations refer children to Instant Neighbour so that they may receive a gift through the Giving Tree. Instant Neighbour arranges for the printing of “tags”, each of which relates to one of the children referred to the appeal. The tag says the child’s name, age, and gender.
Supporters across Aberdeen City and Shire – businesses, schools, universities, and other organisations – take Giving Tree tags from Instant Neighbour and place them on their Christmas trees. Many supporters make the trees available to members of the public. Staff and customers will collect a tag from a tree, purchase a gift, and return the gift with the tag attached to the tree (or another tree).
Instant Neighbour then collects all of the donated gifts, arranges for them to be sorted and boxed, and then returned to partner organisations in time for Christmas parties and other events at which the gifts will be given out to the children receiving gifts.
This video shows the Instant Neighbour operation…it’s pretty much Santa’s workshop.