Basket Brigade

Melbourne

We're on a mission to deliver 1,500 baskets this year, can you help?
The Melbourne Basket Brigade is a small and dedicated group of volunteers who assist locals in need. This year we will be packing and delivering baskets of food and other goods to families in need. These deliveries are made anonymously and arrive just in time for Christmas.

We organise fundraising events throughout the year which help us raise valuable funds to enable us to deliver as many baskets as possible. We thank you for your interest and look forward to hearing from you soon!

Location Coordinator

Alex Fitzgerald

Email Address

melbournebasketbrigade@magicmoments.org.au

Contact Number

0422 833 551

Collections (Year Round)

We are always on the lookout for fantastic volunteers to support us in rounding up collections and delivering these to our warehouses.

If you have an appropriate vehicle and can spare some time, we’d love to hear from you!

Packing Day

Saturday 16th or Sunday 17th December 2023 - Choose your preferred day!

Location

Caulfield Grammar - St Kilda East

Time

Registrations will open Mid November. Start times will be provided once you register to attend. Keep an eye on our Facebook Page or register for our newsletter for updates.

Corporate Packing Day

Got a Corporate Team that would love to roll up their sleeves?

Our Corporate Teams Packing day will be on Friday 15th December 2023 & we can't do it without your help!

There is a small cost of participation per volunteer OR donation by way of goods.

Pledge your companies support by clicking on the button below and we will be in touch to explain more, thanks

Fundraising Event

We run fundraising events throughout the year to support our cause including Bunnings Sausage Sizzles and Intersection Tin Shakes.

To learn more about upcoming events being run by our Basket Brigade, click the button below to check out our Facebook page, where we provide regular updates!

Important information about our Packing Day and other events.

What to BRING to a packing or gifting day:
Please ensure you bring comfortable shoes and clothes to pack and deliver in, as well as Christmas Cheers, Big Smiles, Crazy Christmas Hats, Water Bottles, Snacks and anything else you think you might need to keep you going throughout the day.

Donations are still welcome on the day (cash, non-perishable food & toys) and are hugely appreciated!  There may even be raffle opportunities so bring along your small change.

If you did not complete an online form to register that included an indemnity form then please also bring your completed indemnity form, which will have been emailed to you.

What to do BEFORE Packing Day:
Donate Money to Feed Families:

We are all busy people and you may not have time to join Basket Buddies – we get it.  Why not donate directly to the Brigade and we will do the shopping for you.  A $50 donation feeds a family of four with both staples and festive foods – its so easy – just click on any of the donate now buttons on this page.

Remember all financial donations to the Magic Moments Basket Brigades over $2 are tax deductible, when you make your donation you will get an automated tax donation receipt – again too easy!

Toy raising and wishing tree kits:

We still need to collect hundreds of toys so we can provide smiles to children this year aged 0 to 14. If you can help by getting together a toy collection among friends, family, workmates or even your sporting club or school that would be awesome – any number of new toys are welcome.

Please contact us if you would like to collect toys as we need them to arrive prior to Packing Day. We have wishing tree kits with posters we can send to you or letters you can use to take to your local school or sports clubs.

What to DO at a packing or gifting day:
Come and help pack baskets, wrap toys and you can deliver the baskets too – it’s really up to you.  We just need you to pre-register as we do have limited spaces and Basket Brigades are soooo much fun lots of people come year on year.

We do always welcome new volunteers but we really need you to register.  The logistics of a Basket Brigade are significant and your registration to volunteer will help us.

Can't make it to a packing day? Here's how else you can help:
We are a not for profit organisation that is run totally by volunteers who care about making a difference in the lives of others. The only administrative fees we have are some basic postage costs and our insurances. This means that approximately 98-99% of the funds raised are used on the projects, programs and people in the community.

Where possible all of our brochures and marketing materials are donated by generous businesses who are keen supporters of the Basket Brigade. If you have a business and would like to support us give us a call or drop us an email – we would love to hear from you.

Looking for another way to help? Join our Basket Buddies Program!

Basket Buddies is a really simple way you can help to feed another family. Register to join our Basket Buddies and you will get sent a list of the items for the Basket. Each week when shopping just add another one or two items to your shopping trolley and before you know it you will have a basket ready to go.

Tell your family, friends and work colleagues about Basket Buddies and you can help to feed even more families – good on you! To register for our Basket Buddies program, click the button below.

Our Success

As a grassroots organisation, we rely on the support of our incredible local sponsors and volunteers. Thanks to them, we've been able to do some truly amazing things..

28,480

Baskets supplied to date

24,950

Families supported to date

35,170

Volunteer hours to date

Our sponsors & supporters..

JFL Corporation Pty Ltd
BG RISK Spree Enterprise Choice Energy
Warwick Fabrics (Aust) Pty Ltd
Sounds Allwright
Good 360
Melbourne Water
Bellrock Financial D Property
Dogs Country Club & We Love Dogs Kennel Resorts
Insignia Financial
Arnotts Australia
Optus & Hot Wheels
McGrath Nicol
KIP - Kids In Philanthropy
Chapel St Collective
Stirling Fildes
Core Traffic Management
Living Edge
ESR
LOGOS

With your help, we can support even more families this Christmas..

1,500

This years basket goal

$40,000

This years fundraising goal

Want to get involved?

Click here to join us

Our Motivation

We believe it is important to share our blessings with families who may not have food to eat during the holidays. While the gifts we bring may seem simple and ordinary, the seeds we plant in the lives of the people who receive our baskets have an extraordinary impact.

And just like Tony Robbins requested when he delivered his first baskets, the only thing we ask of the people who receive the gift baskets is that, when the time comes and if they are able to, that they pay it forward and show the same level of kindness and generosity to another family.

The fruits of our actions are visible every year in the growth of the MMF Basket Brigades across Australia with chapters in every capital city and many regional cities as well and hundreds of volunteers participating in raising funds, gathering donations, collecting food, clothes, toys and other items to give to new families. The most powerful display of the power of the Brigades is that many of the new volunteers were once recipients of a basket from our Basket Brigade teams.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you choose the families that receive baskets?
Our Basket Brigades work with local grassroots community groups and organisations that work with the families in need.

By connecting with these groups we are able to help them provide much-needed​ services that they would otherwise struggle to provide. We are also able to identify the people most worthy of the donations.

What areas do you deliver baskets to?

We deliver baskets to wherever they are needed. If you are aware of an area or family that might need assistance, please let our coordinators know.

Our capability to deliver to families outside our brigades geographic area eg to regional areas, is dependant on available volunteers to make that happen.  If you live in a regional area and would like to get involved in bringing a Basket Brigade to your town or region then please reach out - we would love to speak to you about how this could happen in your community.

How much of the money raised goes back into the community?
We are a not for profit organisation that is run totally by volunteers who care about making a difference in the lives of others. The only administrative fees we have are some basic postage costs and our insurances. This means that approximately 98-99% of the funds raised are used on the projects, programs and people in the community.

Where possible all of our brochures and marketing materials are donated by generous businesses who are keen supporters of the Basket Brigade. If you have a business and would like to support us give us a call or drop us an email – we would love to hear from you.

Is my donation Tax Deductible?
The Basket Brigades listed on this website are a program of the Magic Moments Foundation of Australia which is a registered non-profit charity. Any donation over $2 will receive a tax deductible receipt which you can then use to claim as a tax deduction.
What types of items go into the baskets?
The baskets consist of staple foods, festive foods and items as well as toys for the children of the families. Pasta, rice, tinned and fresh foods accompany Christmas cakes, tinned ham, custard and jelly.

The idea is to provide yummy things to make a festive Christmas Day and staple items for the days before and after. We also often provide hampers with slight variations for families who may have dietary or religious restrictions around particular foods if we are made aware of this.

Do the recipients know where the basket has come from?
The baskets are given anonymously – in the true spirit of Christmas,​ these baskets are a gift to show that there are people who love and care for them even if they never find out who these people are.

A small note is included in the parcel that lets them know that this is a gift from someone that cares and encourages them to do the same when the day comes that they are able to.

How It Works

The Basket Brigade program is built on the simple notion that one small act of generosity on the part of one caring person can transform the lives of hundreds.

Collection

Our volunteers collect generous donations in the form of money, food, clothes, toys, books, etc.
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Awareness

Throughout the year volunteers actively promote the program and find out who in their community is in most need of support.

The Call

Save the Dates are sent out to notify volunteers a month before packing day.

Packing Day

Hundreds of volunteers gather in church, school and community halls around Australia to fill baskets.
and last but not least...

Gifting Day

The baskets are delivered to the families to bring joy and happiness to their lives at Christmas.

Get Involved

Help us keep the circle of giving intact by volunteering for Packing Day or donating food or goods. Sign up to receive more information, or you may contact the representative from the Basket Brigade nearest you for details.

We change lives.. one basket at a time!