For the second year in a row, Visionwest joined with the Auckland City Mission and Glen Eden Baptist Church to create Christmas for whānau throughout West Auckland.
For an increasing number of whānau, Christmas may be like any other day with gifts and roast dinners out of their financial reach – 5 Days of Christmas changed that for 1,200 West Auckland families.
5 Days of Christmas recognises that, in New Zealand today, 100,000 children live in food insecure homes while up to 60,000 New Zealanders find themselves in homeless circumstances. This year, job losses and decreases in income during the COVID event caused personal financial difficulties for many who had never experienced such issues before.
Visionwest again partnered with the Auckland City Mission to create one of five Christmas food hubs around the city. From December 14 to December 18, using the Glen Eden Baptist Church grounds and auditorium as a base, food and gifts were collected, packaged and distributed. Our achieved aim was to provide 240 parcels a day.
In all, 5 Days of Christmas resulted in:
- Over 1,300 phone calls to our 0800 number.
- 1,200 parcels packed and distributed.
- 2,312 adults given food.
- 2,995 children celebrating Christmas with gifts.
- Over 70 volunteers on site each day.
- 3,000 sausages bbq’d.
- About $100,000 worth of food distributed.
- Almost $150,000 worth of toys given to children.
- 1,200 families enjoying a Christmas Day they might otherwise have missed out on.
We want to thank all those who made 5 Days of Christmas such a success, including:
- Our many volunteers, both individuals and those who were a part of corporate groups and businesses.
- Those individuals and organisations who generously donated goods and services, and finances towards the event.
- The Visionwest staff who worked so hard to make 5 Days of Christmas a success.
Thank you everyone, together we were able to create Christmas for our community.