12 December 2019

Santa ditched his reindeers in favour of completing a very special delivery in Victoria’s first locally built, fully electric bus with the Minister for Public Transport, Melissa Horne.

Stopping off at Kolbe Catholic College, Greenvale Lakes, to pick up presents donated by the school students, Santa called on the Minister and Transdev to help him collect and deliver donated Christmas gifts for kids in foster care and residential care, as part of MacKillop Family Services annual Christmas Appeal.

To support the appeal, Transdev’s elves collect and pack gifts generously donated by local schools and businesses to ensure kids in care can have a present to open on Christmas day.

MacKillop’s Director of Community Engagement, Sam Patterson said that Christmas can be a difficult time of year for kids in care, who are often unable to spend the festive season with their birth family.

‘Celebrating traditions helps create a tremendous sense of belonging. Thanks to the generous support of local schools and businesses such as Transdev, we can ensure every child in care will have a present under the Christmas tree this year’, said Mr Patterson.

In previous years, MacKillop Family Services had struggled to collect gifts and asked Transdev if it could help this year. ‘We are very grateful for Transdev’s support – in the past we’ve had our staff drive around collecting presents. It’s time-consuming and takes staff away from doing what they do best: supporting vulnerable kids and families’, Mr Patterson added.

To find out how you can support MacKillop to bring Christmas cheer to kids in care, visit: www.mackillop.org.au/get-involved/donate.