Christmas is all about community, caring, and joy—but for many, the holiday season is also associated with worries about how to make ends meet. A donation of 15,000 kroner from the Sol og Strand Foundation, Sol og Strand Margit and Kjeld, means that around 50 children will receive a Christmas present this year.

"We can see that the need for help is steadily increasing year after year, which is partly due to rising food prices and the new welfare reform, which has made it more difficult for many people to make ends meet—and the Christmas season makes it even more difficult," says Bjarne Andersen, who is a volunteer project manager for the Christmas aid project GAVEN at Bethaniakirken in Aalborg.

Bjarne Andersen is a volunteer project manager at GAVEN.

The Christmas aid project is aimed at families and single parents in Aalborg Municipality who are facing difficult circumstances, whether due to illness, financial challenges, or other personal circumstances.

To be considered for Christmas assistance, you must fill out an application form. A working group then reviews the applications received and selects those that meet the criteria.

"We always strive to help applicants move forward if we are unable to accommodate their application. For example, if an applicant is from another municipality, we try to find an opportunity in their own local area," says Bjarne Andersen, who has been involved in volunteer work since 2022.

I want to make a difference because I myself received help from unexpected sources as a child. I grew up in a home where money was tight, and I was a boy who wanted to play sports, but there was no money for that. I was lucky that there were adults who collected money so that I could get a badminton racket and equipment to play badminton, and that meant a lot to me, says Bjarne Andersen, who works as a consultant in the Ministry of Children and Education.

A craft workshop has been set up in Bethania Church so that children can make gifts for their parents.

In 2024, 392 children from 232 families received assistance through the project, and this year Bjarne Andersen expects gifts to be delivered to around 425 children from approximately 250 families. The families can choose from 60 different gifts tailored to gender and age. In addition to the Christmas gifts, each family receives a gift card worth 375 kroner, which can be used for Christmas shopping.

The award ceremony will take place at Bethania Church on December 6.

On December 6, gifts will be handed out, and it will be an atmospheric day, with the approximately 45 volunteers behind GAVEN transforming Bethania Church into a cozy Christmas setting. Here, parents and children can enjoy making gifts in the creative workshop, enjoy refreshments, and have a family photo taken before taking their gifts home.

"Our experience is that GAVEN helps to create joy and hope. Parents see that their children are happy to receive a gift, and they sense that there are local forces that want to help and support them," says Bjarne Andersen.

The many volunteers involved in the gift aid project.