Jen Lilley revives Christmas Is Not Cancelled toy drive for kids

On Christmas Eve, most kids wake up, skip breakfast, run down the hall and look under the tree for the gifts Santa left behind. For most of them, the wrapping paper is there. For some, it isn’t, and the morning goes quiet in a way no parent forgets.

Not every parent can afford a present, and actress Jen Lilley, who is a mum of five, understands what that means. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she started the Christmas Is Not Cancelled toy drive, which has turned into something much bigger than she expected. Her goal this year is to provide 20,000 presents for children in need, and the campaign is backed by a $30,000 donation from podcaster Shawn Ryan towards bikes and scooters, items Lilley says are often the hardest to source.

The campaign kicked off on 1 November and will run through 13 December, People reported.The campaign started as a jokeThe idea started almost by accident. During the pandemic, Lilley told a friend that Christmas had better not get cancelled, then realised that for plenty of families, it might be.