Like last year, in 2026 we will be running two rounds.

ROUND ONE - Christmas in July

You can request to fill a box by completing the form on our website from the 9th of May. You can collect your box from the 12th of June. Filled boxes need to be returned by the 12th of July.

ROUND TWO - Christmas at Christmas Time

You can request to fill a box by completing the form on our website from the 5th of October. You can collect your box from the 27th October. Filled boxes need to be returned by 29th of November.

Your good deed for the season will be completed before the mad rush of concerts and assemblies and Christmas parties begins!

The Maitland Reverse Advent Calendar Coordinator is Michelle Harvey. Michelle is a local teacher and mother who volunteers her time. She is generously supported by Daisy Farmer, Leah Stace and Narelle Harvey, who also volunteer their time.

Many of our friends and family contribute their skills, time and resources to the website, transport of boxes and design of materials. We are very grateful for their unpaid support.

Yes, absolutely! Just register once with yourself as the nominated person so we don't email everyone. You'll be the person responsible for picking up all the boxes for your group and dropping them back.

We provide you with a list of 24 items, and ask that you stick to the list. It has been created and refined over past years as we have learned more about the families who receive our boxes, and the processes involved in getting the boxes to them (read: we have tried to make them a little lighter, as we shift them all by hand!). Boxes can be exposed to heat over summer, so we have avoided items that can spoil or melt.

We ask that you stick to this list, so that we can ensure all recipients receive a consistent minimum amount of support, and so that boxes are not too heavy to transport. All items must be well within their use by dates. You are welcome to add any extra light weight, non perishable food items that you choose on top of the items from the list. Maybe some yummy Christmas treats, pastas, chips and lunch box snacks, as most of the families supported have children. We ask that you do not donate fresh foods like fruit or home made baked goods, alcohol, razors or out of date food. We sort through each box by hand, and these items will be removed and binned.

If you wish to donate non-food items such as pet food, nappies, formula and toys, we ask that you donate these directly to Maitland Region Community Support or Kurri Kurri Community Centre.

You will receive a paper copy of the list when you collect your box.

Here is the list:

The cardboard boxes themselves are the biggest cost to the drive. We are extremely grateful to the many people who have helped us to cover the cost of ordering our boxes for the 2026 drive. Many people donated small amounts, others contributed enough to cover 175 boxes! As these are direct purchases from the box supplier and we are not a charity (though MRCS and KKCS are) these contributions are not tax deductible, and are made purely from a place of generosity and community spirit.

We'd especially like to say thank you to:

- Fiona and the team at Johnson's Family Law and Mediation for covering the purchase of 175 boxes! You can learn more about them here:

Johnson's Family Law and Mediation

- Lauren's Lounge East Maitland for providing a Hair Spa Experience voucher, which we auctions and used to cover the purchase of 50 boxes. You can learn more about them here:

Lauren's Lounge

If you think you can help, please email [email protected]

We completed shops in May using the list and selecting a mix of branded and home branded items, items on sale and items at regular price. Our Woolworths shop came to $60.55 and our Coles shop came to $65. You can assume ALDI would be a little less, and we stuck to premium brands, made different choices (e.g. coffee instead of tea bags, Vegemite instead of peanut butter) or added extras it would have been a little more.

Not at all! This is how the idea started, and if it works for your family, then that's fantastic. It can be a great daily reminder of the importance of giving and kindness. If you'd rather take the kids shopping and have them follow the list and select the items in one go, do that! If you're really flat-chat, you can opt to do an online shop and click and collect or have it delivered to your door, put it all in the box and drop it back the next day. We love your efficiency!

PLEASE tape up the bottom of your box with some strong tape. Noone enjoys a jar of pasta sauce landing on their big toe. DO NOT seal the top of your box. Every box will be checked by your coordinator to ensure consistency and to evenly distribute any extra goodies as they come in.

We have pick up points spread across the Maitland LGA, including East Maitland, Rutherford, Aberglasslyn and Chisholm. You can nominate your preferred point when you register for a box. These are private residences, so rather than displaying the addresses on our website, we will send you the address when you request a box.

Allegra Pilates members will also be able to nominate to collect their box at their preferred studio. St Patrick's Lochinvar staff can collect their box from school, and other arrangements can be made for large workplaces.

We hope to expand our collection points to include a Kurri Kurri or Gillieston Heights point for Round 2.

Your box will be at the front door of these houses or inside the business, along with a list of names of those who have registered. When you collect your box, just tick off your name, collect your shopping list and get cracking. You can return your box to the same place you collected it from.

It costs us money to buy the boxes themselves, a website domain, labels and packing tape, printing brochures and posters, and purchasing items missing from returned boxes. Around $2500 all up. We are not a business or registered charity - we are just locals who want to help locals in a practical and meaningful way.

We cover these costs with generous donations from individuals, along with donations and services-provided by some wonderful local businesses. In 2026, we are grateful to be receiving support from:

- Fiona and the team at Johnson's Family Law and Mediation for covering the purchase of 175 boxes!
- Lauren's Lounge East Maitland for providing a Hair Spa Experience voucher, which we auctions and used to cover the purchase of 50 boxes.
- BJ Carpentry and Bathrooms, who provide grocery vouchers to ensure all boxes are delivered to families absolutely filled with essential food and treats.
- Cherry's Automotive Repairs, Maitland: who provide grocery vouchers to ensure all boxes are delivered to families absolutely filled with essential food and treats.

Volunteers drive their own vehicles to deliver and collect boxes and pay for their own fuel and expenses during the collection drive. They are not compensated in any monetary way for their volunteer hours.

The Army Reserves have streamlined our delivery process, by providing a truck and personnel to collect and transport our boxes, and we thank them very much for their contribution.

If you'd like to support us this year, get in contact at [email protected]

Yes! If this is something you're personally familiar with, feel free to clearly mark this on your box. Take a little more liberty with the shopping lists according to that dietary need.

I'm glad they have you in their corner. You can put them in touch with Maitland Region Community Support: Maitland Region Community Support or Kurri Kurri Community Center: Kurri Kurri Community Services

We always need help with collecting boxes from collection points and returning them to the coordinators, checking and stacking boxes etc

You need to be able to lift a cardboard box with 24 or more items in it. You volunteer at your own risk as we are not a registered charity or business so cannot provide insurance.

If this interests you, please email us at [email protected]

Otherwise, the best thing you can do is to tell your friends and family about Maitland Reverse Advent Calendar, and help them to get involved as well.

We're busy mums with day jobs and other volunteering responsibilities. The admin side of running this drive is extremely time consuming, so we automate processes where we can.

When you request to fill a box using our form online, we ask for:

- your full name so we can label your box. The label is removed when we deliver the filled boxes.

- the collection point you'd like to collect your box from and return it to.

- your email address. We will use your email address to contact you with updates for the drive and a final email when the drive concludes with our end tally. It will be stored on an unencrypted excel spreadsheet, and you'll be emailed again the following year to see if you'd like to participate again. You can request to be removed from this list at any time. We do not pass your email address on to any sponsors, businesses or charities.

No problem. Please email us at [email protected] or join the Facebook group.