For 2 500 underprivileged children living in squatter camps, community centres and orphanages in and around Johannesburg, Christmas came early this year thanks to generous delivery of Christmas buckets courtesy of the Nashua Children’s Charity Foundation (NCCF).

Six Nashua franchise trucks were loaded up with Christmas buckets containing essential foods, stationery packs and treats for 12 of the 54 charities that the NCCF assists with. One of the trucks was escorted from the Woodmead Makro to Abangani Enkosini in Alexander by bikers from the Harley Owners Group (HOG) lead by the Johannesburg chapter director, Jeff Hampton, which added to the overall excitement of the day.

The other trucks drove far and wide, delivering Christmas buckets to Katlehong, Soweto, Ivory Park, Vosloorus, Krugersdorp West and Eikenhof.

At each drop-off point, the trucks were met with excited cries, joyful smiles and songs of praise as the buckets were handed out to the children from the charity organisations the NCCF chose for this year’s Christmas bucket delivery.

“You wouldn’t believe the difference this delivery has made in the lives of some of the children that received the buckets,” said Helen Fraser, director of the NCCF. “For some of them this is the only treat they will get this Christmas, so to be given a bucket packed full of goodies makes them feel part of the Christmas spirit, which is what Christmas is all about.”

This is the second year that the NCCF has arranged a Christmas bucket delivery for under-privileged children during which time the total number of buckets delivered has grown from 2000 to 2500, with plans underway to grow that number even more in 2014.

“Our hope for the future is that we will one day be able to provide Christmas buckets for all the charities we assist and in doing so, provide some Christmas cheer for those that need it the most,” said Fraser.