As the festive season approaches and Coast prepares for the Christmas shutdown, we’re thrilled to wrap up our 2025 Creative Christmas Gift Drive with an incredible result!
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and the wider community, we are so incredibly proud to announce that we reached our goal of 200 Christmas gifts for young people across Coffs Harbour.
The We Are Coast studio became a hub of kindness over the campaign, with thoughtful gift drop-offs, generous donations and several wrapping sessions where friends donated their time to help wrap presents. Seeing those 200 beautifully wrapped gifts piled beneath the tree has been so heartwarming, especially knowing the lasting impact they’ll have on young people in our community.
Check out where the 2025 journey began here.
Delivering the Joy
This week, we hit the road to deliver our gifts to headspace Coffs Harbour, Groundworks Youth & Community Hub and the Coffs Harbour Neighbourhood Centre, and the response from these teams was incredibly uplifting. Seeing their genuinely stoked, smiling faces and hearing firsthand how meaningful these gifts will be was a powerful reminder of why we do the Christmas drive in the first place.
Why these Gifts Matter
The impact of Coast’s Creative Christmas Gift Drive goes far beyond the festive cheer. The teams at headspace Coffs Harbour, Groundworks Youth & Community Hub, and the Coffs Harbour Neighbourhood Centre shared how these gifts make a real difference for young people in our community.
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headspace Coffs Harbour highlighted how the gifts help young people feel seen, valued, and supported during a time that can often be challenging. “These gifts can reinforce a sense of belonging and connection to a safe, youth-friendly space,” said Tazmyn Jewell.
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Groundworks Youth & Community Hub reflected on the therapeutic benefits of creative tools. Journals, art supplies, and other materials encourage self-expression, exploration, and emotional well-being. “The gifting of creative tools and materials will support young people’s wellbeing and demonstrate that people do care,” said Sue Currie.
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Coffs Harbour Neighbourhood Centre spoke of how older children and young people are sometimes overlooked at Christmas. Thoughtful gifts provide joy, reassurance, and a spark of inspiration. “We also have many families who prioritise children’s creative activities, and gifts like these add a little extra sparkle at Christmas,” said Anna Joy.
A Community Effort, With Lasting Impact
This drive has been incredibly rewarding for our team. Knowing that 200 young people across the Coffs Coast will feel supported, thought of and encouraged this Christmas is something we’re deeply grateful to be part of.
Beyond just the gifts, this drive was about sparking creativity and inspiring the next generation, giving young people tools and opportunities to explore, create, and express themselves. Every journal, art kit, and creative supply we’ve donated is a small step towards encouraging self-expression, imagination, and confidence. Seeing this come together as a community effort makes it even more meaningful, and we’re thrilled to know these gifts will have a lasting impact well beyond the festive season.
A massive shoutout to our sponsors Stoka Coffee, The Town Padel, The Jetty Pavilion, Arbella Ice Creamery, SLR Productions, Embark Renovations, Pretty Suite, NDA Media, Hello Coco Studio, North Beach General Store, Venus Tattoo and Coastal Commercial Bookkeeping for your support in making this possible.
To everyone who donated gifts, contributed funds, gave your time and spread the word – a big thank you.
This was a genuine community effort, and it makes us proud to be part of the Coffs Coast community. We also thank the local media that helped to promote our initiative, Coffs Focus Mag, NBN News, and News Of The Area.
From all of us at Coast — thank you for making Coast’s Creative Christmas Drive for 2025 the best yet – we’re so proud of what we achieved together!
Merry Christmas! 🎄
