For 30 years, The Knox School community has come together at Christmas to make a meaningful difference for local families experiencing hardship.
Through our annual Christmas Giving Tree Appeal, our community, past and present, has donated more than $360,000 worth of food, toys, gifts and essential items. It is an extraordinary legacy of generosity and one we are incredibly proud to continue in 2026.
This year, our Giving Tree Appeal will support two important causes, including a new student-led partnership that extends the impact of this much-loved TKS tradition.
We will once again support the Salvation Army in Ferntree Gully, collecting food and pantry items for hampers distributed to families in our local community.
For toys and gifts, we are proud to partner with Project Grounded, a new charitable initiative established by our 2027 School Captains, Aurelia C and Aran N, to raise awareness of and support for youth homelessness.
Through Project Grounded, donated toys and gifts will be provided to Launch Housing for distribution to families experiencing hardship this Christmas.
Launch Housing is one of Melbourne’s largest independent organisations bringing homelessness support services and community housing together under one roof. Each year, it provides affordable housing, care and support to thousands of people at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. Its annual festive toy drive also brings some Christmas joy to more than 500 children and young people.
We are incredibly proud of Aurelia and Aran for turning an idea into meaningful action for their community.
Aurelia and Aran shared:
“We believe that creating meaningful change doesn’t always require grand gestures. Sometimes, it begins with a community coming together to make a difference. Through our partnership with Launch Housing, we hope to bring a little joy and a sense of belonging to children and young people experiencing hardship this Christmas. We hope this is the start of a meaningful tradition, an opportunity in which our school gets to further contribute to our local community. We’re incredibly grateful for the support of The Knox School community in helping turn this vision into meaningful action.”
How can you support?
The 2026 Giving Tree Appeal officially launches this month and will culminate at our Twilight Festival on Friday 4 December.
There are several ways TKS families can get involved.
Donate food and pantry items
Our Term Four Casual Clothes Day will take place on Friday 4 December, alongside the Twilight Festival, with the theme ‘A Touch of Christmas’.
Instead of bringing a gold coin donation, students are invited to bring a food or pantry item for the Salvation Army. Donations should be unopened, undamaged and within their use-by date, and can be placed in the hampers in classroom, Mentor or AC rooms on Friday 4 December.
Place a gift under our Giving Tree
Families are also invited to donate a new toy or gift for Launch Housing. To help us create a diverse range of donations, families might consider choosing a gift suitable for a child of a similar age and gender to their own child or children.
Toys and gifts can be brought to campus from Wednesday 11 November and placed under the Christmas Tree in Main Reception. Donations will also be accepted at the Project Grounded stall at the Twilight Festival.
Support Project Grounded at the Twilight Festival
Project Grounded will also launch a range of handmade candles at the Twilight Festival, with proceeds supporting homeless shelters and the important work they undertake.
Through the initiative, Aurelia and Aran hope to raise both funds and awareness for people experiencing homelessness, while giving our community another way to make a difference.
A TKS tradition that keeps growing
For three decades, the Giving Tree Appeal has shown what can happen when our community comes together.
This year, as we continue our longstanding support of local families through the Salvation Army and welcome Project Grounded and Launch Housing to the appeal, we hope to make that impact even greater.
Every item donated matters. Every gift can bring joy. And together, our community can make Christmas a little brighter for families who need it most.
For enquiries, please contact community@knox.vic.edu.au
