Anglicare Sydney is a non-profit welfare agency of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. They provide practical support to people in the community experiencing times of need. Anglicare seeks to contribute to the wellbeing of the whole person regardless of their circumstances, age, race, gender, religion or cultural background.

As part of their ongoing commitment to help those in need, Anglicare Sydney have partnered with the local community to develop the Toys ‘n’ Tucker program. The program aims to provide a channel for people to donate new toys and food to those in need at Christmas time.

The implementation of Toys ‘n’ Tucker is all about communication and collaboration. Planning begins mid-year when marketing collateral is reviewed and updated. Based on the previous year’s figures, the print quantity is then determined. In mid-September a direct marketing campaign is rolled out and continues through the next month, inviting all previous participants and all the Anglican schools and churches in the Sydney region to register for the current year.

The registration process is all online. Groups fill in their details and request marketing collateral which is then mailed out to them. At this stage the group also selects a date for their collection to be picked up by Anglicare vans. The groups then have complete autonomy to organise, promote and collect items as best suits their community and environment.

Toys ‘n’ Tucker has become its own brand and is well recognised amongst participants. Consistent messaging creates a sense of community and joy through generosity, whilst the ease for groups to practically participate makes the program accessible. The participation packs provide resources for groups to organise and promote their collection, while still allowing flexibility for the individual group’s needs and environment.

In 2015, the Toys ‘n’ Tucker initiative saw 311 schools, churches and businesses from all over the greater Sydney region participate. This means that 311 groups decided to help others in need at Christmas. As a result, 2820 food hampers were given out to struggling families and 2617 toy hampers were given out to children who might otherwise not receive anything at Christmas.