Salvation Army, Haven; Home, Safe help central Victorian families over Christmas, New Year period

Salvation Army north-west Victoria area officer, Major Andrew Walker, said the service assists three times more families in December than other times throughout the year.

"The demand at this time of year is always very high," he said. "A lot of it is financial assistance around the whole Christmas package - so presents, food, and help with bills.

"What we're finding is there's this pressure people are feeling to provide a certain level of experience to their children. The expectations keep going up and it puts financial pressure on families."

Many people also struggle with loneliness during the festive season, Major Walker said.

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"I think one of the main things to keep an eye out for is your neighbours and other people around," he said. "Just touch base and make sure they're ok.

"It's not just the financial need. For some, it's really a struggle with that sense of isolation and loneliness.

"It becomes a big issue because the expectation is that around Christmas, your family is around you. If they're spending it alone, it can be a really tough time for a lot of people emotionally."

Major Walker said the Salvation Army in Bendigo handed out about 500 toys to children in the area just this week.

He said while financial and material donations were always welcome around Christmas, the demand would continue into the new year.

"January is also a tough period for many families," he said. "We find that's when the school bills come in, but also the general cost of school holidays. Keeping the kids entertained is not cheap."

Haven; Home, Safe chief executive Ken Marchingo AM said the demand for their services also increased in January.

"The volume of clients actually falls away as we head towards Christmas because people have gone to ground or they go to where they think they'll be welcome," he said.

"The number of people who come to us after the New Year period - it just starts to rise again.

"We see a lot of people who have got themselves into a lot of financial trouble because they just fell for the Christmas story, if you like, and they need to make sure their kids are not the only kid in the street who doesn't have a Christmas present under the tree.

"But people don't always have the cash to support that, so we will see quite a few people experiencing financial difficulty and sometimes that then turns into homelessness."

Haven; Home, Safe has collected hundreds of donations this year - including toys - for families who are struggling in the region.

"These presents they really do help people," Mr Marchingo said. "It also gives us the opportunity to continue to engage with our clients, which is really powerful."

Bendigo Ray White donated about 150 gifts to Haven; Home, Safe this Christmas period.

"We have been collecting throughout the community, which has been wonderful," Ray White's Debra Baird said. "We have had lots of drop boxes with our sales team and property management.

"We've really taken it on board this year and we're just thrilled with the outcome."

Mr Marchingo said the service could always do with more donations - including financial contributions.

"At any time of the year, we're always very grateful for those very rare cash donations," he said. "We use that to provide the things to people that we would not normally be able to provide."

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