Charities across the country have begun an all too familiar cry for generosity over the festive season, with many saying this year’s donations are the lowest in years. But it’s not all bad news, according to some Christian charities

The annual Christmas Bowl appeal, run by the National Council of Churches’ international aid agency, Act for Peace, says loyal Christian donors are their bread and butter at Christmas.

A Christmas Bowl appeal during a service at Hobart North Uniting Church

“We have such a loyal supporter base and have done for decades,” says executive director of Act for Peace, Alistair Gee. “They give even though I imagine their own circumstances are worse off.”

According to Gee, natural disaster relief appeals gain a greater response than those driven by conflict, like fundraising for Syrian refugee relief. “It seems to grip people a little more when they see a flood or a famine than it does seeing man-made crises like war.”

The Christmas Bowl appeal has been running for 60 years, and is hoping to raise $2.5 million this year to support people most affected by conflict around the world including Syria, Sri Lanka, Iraq and Somalia and Sudan. Gee says there’s a sense of community within churches that surrounds the appeal. And while the total amount raised each year hasn’t been going up as quickly as they’d like post-financial crisis, Gee says it’s not dropping.

“We’ve got over 2,000 church congregations partnering with us, across 19 different denominations. They raise awareness within their own communities and they also get a taste of what church is like for others around the world doing it tough. It’s a very powerful message for churches.”

A child receives an Operation Christmas Child shoe box. Image: Samaritan’s Purse

Operation Christmas Child, run by Christian international relief agency, Samaritan’s Purse, is another organisation still feeling the Christmas spirit. The international, Christmas-based appeal gives a shoebox full of gifts and essentials to children in need around the world, with over 8 million children receiving shoe boxes in 2011. This year, the Australian arm of Operation Christmas Child has collected over 300,000 gift-filled shoe boxes for the first time.

“I believe people can see that they’re not just giving money, they’re giving a gift and they know where it goes – straight to the arms of a child,” says Operation Christmas Child’s NSW state manager, Craig Jennings. In New South Wales alone, the organisation has collected almost 80,000 shoe boxes. Jennings says Christian churches and schools are some of their greatest and most generous supporters.

“One church in the Blue Mountains area has grown from filling 800 shoe boxes four years ago to filling 3,300 this year. It’s not a huge church either, and yet their support keeps growing every year,” says Jennings.

This year, Operation Christmas Child expects to give their 100 millionth shoe box to a child in poverty.