MEDIA RELEASE
Monday 18 December 2006
Christmas gift appeal calls for help in its final week
The Salvation Army and Barnardos are asking New Zealanders to consider families in need this week, by donating a present
to the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal.
By last Friday (December 15) 9,760 of presents had been donated to the appeal. With an aim to collect 23,000 gifts by
Christmas Eve, there is still a long way to go to helping needy families this Christmas.
The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal is New Zealand’s largest Christmas gift appeal for families in need. Presents are
collected by Kmart and distributed locally by The Salvation Army and Barnardos to families that are unable to afford
Christmas presents.
Gerry Walker from The Salvation Army says many more presents are still needed, but he is confident the target will be
reached.
“Kiwis are generous people, and I know they’ll think about families who can’t afford the luxury of buying for loved ones
at this time of year. All we ask is for people to donate a small gift to the appeal. It will make a huge difference to
someone’s Christmas,” he says.
To participate in the appeal, simply place a gift (wrapped or unwrapped) underneath the Wishing Tree at any one of
Kmart’s 14 stores across New Zealand. Gifts do not need to be purchased from Kmart – all gifts will be gratefully
received and will go towards helping brighten someone’s Christmas.
As an alternative to donating a gift, people can make a cash contribution at any Kmart store register. One hundred
percent of cash contributions are converted by Kmart into Kmart gift vouchers, which are then distributed to people in
need by welfare groups, allowing appeal recipients to choose their own Christmas gift.
The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal was launched by Dancing with the Stars co-host Candy Lane on 13 November and will continue
until Christmas
Last year the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal collected a record 22,859 gifts for families in need and over the past 11 years
the appeal has helped more than 126,000 New Zealanders.
Ends