The need is ongoing, we are still collecting quality bedding and towels, and donations are needed to buy the essentials families are asking for.

Last week we helped a grandmother with 2 daughters, who were flooded out of their refuge. Luckily, after finding her family homeless, another refuge offered her a home. The Catalytic Foundation (with thanks to our donors) gave her Warehouse vouchers, clothing, shoes, towels and bed linen. We later received an email from her saying:

“Thank you so much for all the stuff you gave, it’s wonderful to have stuff we can call our own. As we had nothing to begin with. We moved into a women’s refuge during the flood, we only had stuff at that refuge, but lost them as our room got flooded. We then moved into a civil defence centre, there they gave us clothing to wear, and what we wore, we went with to temporary accommodation, from there to the new refuge we are at, we came with just what we wore.  So, thank you so very much, not only for the stuff but also with the $200 warehouse gift card. Bless you and all you do for families like us who have lost everything. Thank you Thank you Thank you”

On Saturday 18th Feb, we provided linen, towels and New World vouchers to community charity Woven Earth, who worked with their volunteers to furnish a home for multiple families in Muriwai. Thank you to New World Long Bay for contributing a further $500 voucher for these families. 

“Thank you so much for the vouchers and the support to get all of that out to Muriwai yesterday. They cried when I gave them the vouchers. It was pretty sobering being out there. The people helping to clean this house up were all forced to leave their homes. There were very humble and so grateful for the support” CEO of Woven Earth charity  

Currently, we are supporting Woven Earth as they help to set up Muriwai Surf Club for families to live in. The club will house many homeless families from the area. 

On Monday 20th Feb, we dropped of a van load of clothes, bed linen and towels to charity Island Child, who provide transitional housing for families. This amazing charity will distribute the items to families in transition, families affected by the flooding in South Auckland families and to fruit pickers in the Hawkes Bay.

On Tuesday 21st Feb we are working with volunteers to prepare 200 backpacks with school supplies for children. These will be distributed to families affected by the floods and/or financial insecurity in the greater Auckland area. 

These are examples of the ongoing work we are assisting with. There are still many families in Mangere (South Auckland) and Muriwai (West Auckland) and the Hawkes Bay that we can support with your help. The community charities we work with advise us of the urgent necessities needed, and with your help we can support this important frontline work.

Thank you to one of our Catalytic Foundation donors, Platinum Recruitment, for kindly donating laptops for our community charities. Four of these laptops have gone to Mama Taana from the Corstorphine Hub charity in South Dunedin and will be passed on to families in need.

DIGITAL DEVICES URGENTLY NEEDED 

In a recent survey conducted by the Catalytic Foundation, 85% of charities and schools are reporting they need digital devices for their clients/students. In particular, mobile phones for communication and safety and chrome books for children's education.

If you can help please CONTACT US

Teachers fear an increasing number of students will turn up without the necessities to learn as families struggle to afford food and school supplies such as backpacks, uniforms and stationery. "Our recent survey has shown the immediate need to provide support for families, so their children can return to school" says Teresa Moore, CEO, Catalytic Foundation.

The survey shows that many families were already struggling, and the recent floods in the Auckland-region have applied further pressure.  Children are turning up to school hungry, and others are missing out because their parents aren't able to provide the basics that they need to start the school year. 

There are three ways you can help children with the necessities for learning:

1. To provide backpacks with educational supplies please donate to the Backpack4Education Campaign
   
   
2. To donate educational resources such as: stationery items, mobile phones, chromebooks please contact us  
   
   
3. If you would like to volunteer we have specific opportunities available, please contact us on this link 
   
   

"Floods impacted a number of already vulnerable families. Families would appreciate support with educational resources, support with uniforms and school fees" Mangere based community charity request 

Information about the Backpack4Education Campaign

Established to provide education resources to help children return to school.  Families have been identified by accredited frontline Community Charities and schools, as needing urgent support to equip their children for learning. Families need our support due to a variety of reasons: families have been affected by the January 23' floods, are in financial hardship, survivors of domestic violence or living in transitional homes after being homeless. 

The resources we provide children include a Backpack with: lunchbox, drink bottle, school resources (writing books/pens/pencils/pencil case/sharpener/glue), educational book(s). We also endeavor to fill requests for: towels, clothing, shoes, Chromebook or digital learning devices.

Thank you for caring for a child's learning and their future

There are 3 simple ways you and your workplace can help families in need?

• To help support families in need with Educational supplies please click here
  
  
• To help with resources for families please donate here
  
  
• To donate items to help families  please contact us on this link 
  

Over the last few months, we have had hundreds of people across Aotearoa getting involved to create Christmas boxes for families in need.

As a result of the generous donations, and with help of all the volunteers, we have managed to give over 3,750 boxes nationwide – this is a massive achievement and one we could not have done alone…so THANK YOU!!! 

A huge thank you to Argosy Properties for gifting us our office and volunteering space in Auckland. It was a very central HQ, and the volunteers loved it.

Collectively we organised over 1788 Christmas Boxes for families in the Auckland region.

Thank you to Spark who provided a courier service for the Catalytic Foundation to send parcels to families around Aotearoa, a huge help!

Thank you to the Businesses, Individuals and Families who also donated gifts and money to the campaign. 

Thank you to the following Business donors: 

AIA, Spark, Les Mills, Cooper and Co, Deloitte, Downer, Hays Recruitment, Grant Thornton, Soul Machines, Silver Fern Farms, NZ Olympic Committee, Xero, Mastercard, Blackmore Virtue & Owens, Carson Fox Legal, Pitney Bowes, Kohler, Rockwell Automation, Browns Bay Aria Retirement Home, Arvida Peninsula Club, Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate and the United States Consulate General. 

Photo 1: Thank you to AIA for over 120 boxes of gifts for Auckland and Northland families

Photo 2: Delivering to Island Child Charitable Trust

Thank you to individuals and businesses (Spark, Deloitte, Valocity Global and Hays) who donated boxes and money to help the campaign in Wellington.

Thank you to the residents at Arvida Village at the Park in Wellington and Ashwood Park - Arvida Retirement Village in Blenheim for your wonderful contribution of gifts.

Thank you to Hays Recruitment (Madison and the team) were an amazing help with their volunteering time, organizing and wrapping wonderful Christmas boxes.

Thank you to the team of 30 volunteers from Deloitte, who wrapped boxes and donated to the Wellington campaign. �

Thank you to Wellington Helicopters who provided our volunteering venue.

In Wellington and Blenheim we provided 239 boxes for families in the region.

Photo: The Deloitte volunteering team at Wellington Helicopters, on Queens Wharf. Thank you to Ann-Elise Smithson for tidying up the Wellington Helicopters base for next year!

What a better way to finish the year but with the Christmas Shoebox Project!

Over the last few months, we have had hundreds of people across Aotearoa getting involved to create Christmas boxes for families in need.

As a result of the generous donations, and with help of all the volunteers, we have managed to give over 3,750 boxes – this is a massive achievement and one we could not have done alone…so THANK YOU!!!  

Together we put together 344 Christmas Boxes together for families in Canterbury.

Thank you to all of our donors and volunteers in Christchurch.

Special mention to the Hays Recruitment volunteers who wrapped all of our Christmas Parcels.

Photo 1: Thank you to the team and clients from Pinnacle & Co for putting together over 50 boxes!

Photo 2: Socially Speaking delivering Christmas Presents to Christchurch Community House

Photo 3:  Birthright Canterbury delivering Christmas boxes to families

What a better way to finish the year but with the Christmas Shoebox Project!

Over the last few months, we have had hundreds of people across Aotearoa getting involved to create Christmas boxes for families in need.

As a result of the generous donations, and with help of all the volunteers, we have managed to give over 3,750 boxes – this is a massive achievement and one we could not have done alone…so THANK YOU!!!  

In Otago (including Oamaru) and Southland areas we provided 581 Christmas boxes for families in the region.

Thank you to Laura Ramsey and the Forsyth Barr Team for their wrapping of 300+ Christmas boxes.
Thank you to Sues Russell and Volunteer South for organizing many volunteers for Christmas wrapping and driving the boxes to Oamaru.

Thank you to the William Sherriff Charitable Trust for your $3000 donation which helped towards achieving this goal.

Photo: Christmas at Corstorphine Community Hub with Santa, in South Dunedin

Special Christmas Boxes are now being distributed to our community charity partnerships, who have identified families/children in urgent need of support this Christmas. We are working to ensure that no child within our network misses out this Christmas, but we are 200 boxes short!

It's never too late to ensure a child gets a Christmas box of gifts, please click below to help a child in your region this Christmas 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

We are operating the Christmas Shoebox Project in Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Manawatu/Whanganui, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. 

Photos: Curtesy of Corstorphine Community Hub, in South Dunedin, which we donated over 120 Christmas boxes to for their 2022 Christmas Party

Christmas is in 24 days, but for some families this is not a celebration...

In our 2022 Needs Survey Community charities reported that families are:

• Sharing one toothbrush amongst the entire family
• Deciding whether to buy food or pay the power bill
• Stressed by their financial constraints
• Not looking forward to Christmas

The Christmas Shoebox Project provides a way for the community to show they care!  A small donation ensures every child gets a box of presents and essentials and their families are supported by our accredited community partners. 

We have bases throughout Aotearoa ready to receive gifts and donations for the Christmas Shoebox Project. Let's help every child in NZ celebrate this Christmas! 

REGISTER HERE
to give gifts for a Christmas Box

Click here to
DONATE A CHRISTMAS BOX

Thank you for caring for families in your community and we wish you a very happy Christmas from the Catalytic Team