West Australians have once again shown they care – throwing their support behind the Hawaiian Giving Box Christmas Appeal.

The results for the 2020 Appeal have been tallied – and the generosity of locals saw food donations to the collection at Hawaiian’s shopping centres grow by 5 per cent.

Hawaiian chief executive Russell Gibbs said that coming off a pandemic year, where many people had faced hardship of their own, the result was heartwarming.

“When the community needed help – the people of WA stepped up,” Mr Gibbs said.

“More West Australians were vulnerable this Christmas and in need of help. More people needed food and more children were facing the prospect of a festive season with no gifts. Your support of the Hawaiian Giving Box Appeals shows you care – and we thank you.”

Hawaiian teams with charities Foodbank WA and Variety WA each year for the Hawaiian Giving Box Christmas Appeal, collecting non-perishable food donations as well as toys and gifts for WA children and teenagers in need. Because West Australians are so generous, Hawaiian continues to collect donations beyond Christmas for the Charities to distribute to those in need.

Foodbank WA CEO Greg Hebble said the charity was humbled by the community’s support.

“Christmas can be a difficult time for many WA families; and the year that was 2020 brought its own unique challenges and hardships,” Mr Hebble said.

“The silver lining in this crisis-filled year has been the groundswell of support we have seen. Thanks to the support of Hawaiian and the generosity of the Perth community, we have been able to help West Aussies in real need.”

Variety WA CEO Tony Hume said WA children facing difficulties due to disadvantage, illness or disability were directly helped by the Hawaiian Giving Box Appeal.

Giant-sized gold Giving Boxes were located at Hawaiian’s shopping centres across the Perth metropolitan area, including Claremont Quarter, Hawaiian’s Bassendean, Hawaiian’s Forrestfield, Hawaiian’s Melville, Hawaiian’s Mezz in Mt Hawthorn, Hawaiian’s Noranda and Hawaiian’s Park Centre in East Victoria Park. Students at 17 Perth primary schools also collected for the Hawaiian Giving Box Appeal.

Since beginning eight years ago, the Hawaiian Giving Box Appeal has collected more than 36,000kg of food, 40,000 gifts and $62,000 in cash donations for West Australians in need.