Media release

November 30, 2007

For immediate release

On a Mission to make Christmas Happen for Every Auckland Child

                                                                                The Auckland City Mission’s Christmas Appeal gets underway on December 3.

 “The Christmas Appeal is about Aucklanders helping Aucklanders,” says Diane Robertson, Auckland City Missioner. “We rely on the generosity of Aucklanders to be able to do our community work.”

Money raised in the Appeal will allow Mission services to meet immediate needs for food, clothing and accommodation, and help people set in place resources needed to improve life for themselves and their families long term. 

Basic food items will provide food parcels and contributions of Christmas  treats – Christmas cakes, puddings and mince tarts, frozen chickens, turkeys and hams, biscuits, nuts and chocolates – will go into Christmas hampers so that struggling families can celebrate at home.

Donations of Christmas presents mean 25,000 children who would otherwise go without will have something to celebrate this Christmas.

The Mission’s Christmas Dinner for1500 people in the Auckland Town Hall will provide a celebration and sense of community for those who would otherwise spend the day alone or are unable to afford a celebration themselves.

Rising fuel and food prices are making it even harder for the many who are struggling to cope day to day.  While these price rises affect us all, those on extremely limited budgets find it almost impossible to cope. 

“Many of the families coming to the Mission for help have just $20 a week to buy their food.  The recent rises in food prices have increased the number of families in this situation.  The Mission is committed to helping these people.” 

“The Christmas Appeal target of $750,000 is vital to ensure the Mission can continue delivering its services in the community and meet the needs of all those seeking our help this Christmas.”

Donations can be posted to Auckland City Mission, PO Box 5352 Wellesley Street, Auckland, or made online at www.aucklandcitymission.orgnz.  Contributions of  Christmas presents and food for Christmas hampers can be delivered to the Auckland City Mission, 140 Hobson Street; or phone 379 2395 to arrange for collection.

About the Mission

Since 1920 the Auckland City Mission has been working with those most in need in our community: families trapped in poverty, the sick, the homeless, children who are disadvantaged and elderly people who are isolated and lonely. 

Core services include: Crisis Care, which provides assistance with food, accommodation and clothing to those in crisis; Community Services, where social workers provide practical assistance and social work support to people in their own homes; the Homeless Programme, including Drop-In, social work support and an Into Work programme for those who are homeless; Drug and Alcohol Services, supporting people to overcome their addictions; the Distribution Service, which collects and sorts goods that have been donated to the Mission; the Community Food Programme, which regularly supplies food to 70 other foodbanks and community agencies in the Auckland Region;  New Beginnings shops, providing good quality, low cost clothing, furniture and bric-a-brac for those on low incomes; and Caring at Christmas – making sure struggling Auckland families can celebrate Christmas.

It costs the Mission $3.8 million every year to provide its services.  Only 9.1 per cent of this is government funded. The rest – 90.1 per cent – is raised through the Mission’s fundraising efforts and the generosity of Aucklanders.

Ends

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