2332 Christmas Boxes Delivered to Families
Together we have delivered 2,332 Christmas boxes from Invercargill to Kaitaia and engaged hundreds of volunteers.
Every contribution made a difference to struggling families throughout Aotearoa. Thank you to everybody who gave their time, gifts and donations to this amazing campaign.
We would like to thank the frontline staff also in the many community charities we worked with during the 2021 Christmas Shoebox Project.
Northland (296 Christmas Boxes)
- Te Rarawa Family Services
- Whare Timatatanga Hou Ora (Kaitaia Womens Refuge)
Auckland (1115 Christmas Boxes)
- Island Child Charitable Trust NZ
- Budgeting and Family Support Services (Mangere, Otara, Tuakau)
- Woven Earth
- Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
- Hibiscus Coast Grandparents Parenting Grandchildren
- Love Soup
- The Mums Clique
- North Shore Womens Centre
- Kindred Services (Helensville)
- Womens Refuge (Rodney)
- De Paul House
- Shine
- North Shore Police
Tauranga (20 Christmas Boxes plus sports gear)
- Te Aranui Youth Trust
Waikato (23 Christmas Boxes + Teddy Bears)
- Waikato Refugee Forum
- English Language Partners
Whanganui/Manawatu (80 Christmas Boxes)
- Wai Ora Christian Community Trust
- Palmerston North Womens Refuge
Wellington (245 Christmas Boxes)
- English Language Partners (Porirua and Wellington)
- Bellyful (Wellington to Porirua)
- Heart Kids Wellington
- Kidz Need Dadz
- Wellington Homeless Women's Trust
Christchurch (251 Christmas Boxes)
- Birthright Canterbury
- Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
- Aviva
- Bellyful
- Christchurch Community House
Otago / Southland (302 Christmas Boxes)
- Volunteer South
- Dunedin Community House
- Corstorphine Community Hub
- Te Whare Pounamu Dunedin Womens Refuge
- Stopping violence Dunedin
- Cancer Society (Dunedin and Invercargill)
- Pacific Island Community (Oamaru)
On behalf of the families who received boxes of presents thank you for your generosity and caring for others.
He aha te mea nui o te ao
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
Maori proverb
2021 Christmas Video
A small act of kindness can make a families Christmas
To DONATE a box of gifts for a child this Christmas please CLICK HERE
Each Christmas box contains special gifts including: something to love, something for school, something to wear, something to play with and something to wash with.
Thank you to Xabilities for producing this video for the Catalytic Foundation Christmas Shoebox Appeal
Christmas boxes donated to Te Whare Pounamu Dunedin Women's Refuge
The Catalytic Foundation acknowledge and appreciate the inspirational work done by Te Whare Pounamu Dunedin Women's Refuge and their volunteers. We are proud to be supporting this organisation with Christmas boxes this year and to with our community grant funding.
Women's Refuge is New Zealand’s largest organisation that supports and helps women and children experiencing family violence. The organisation strives to ensure all women and children in Aotearoa can live free from domestic and family violence.
Te Whare Pounamu Dunedin Women's Refuge in particular are more than just a safe house - they are a pillar of strength to vulnerable families in the Dunedin community. The regional branch provides various solutions under one roof such as:
- Confidential support through a 24 hour crisis line
- Home and community visits including in isolated regions
- 24/7 access to safe houses
- Advocacy when dealing with police, legal, court, WINZ, housing, doctors, immigration, school’s and Oranga Tamariki
- Referrals to counsellors, doctors, lawyers and other support services
- Education and support groups for women and children, as well as providing information and presentations to community groups, schools and workplaces
We at the Catalytic Foundation are glad to know that our grant was used to help the charity obtain essentials like furniture for their safe houses. For women and children with nowhere else to go, the safe house is the closest they have to a home so it's important that it provides some comforts of home, especially during what's sure to be one of the most challenging periods of their lives.
The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most.
Hays Christmas Elves
This year the Hays Recruitment team have volunteered to be Christmas Elves, to help deserving families receive boxes of gifts at Christmas time. The Christmas Shoebox Appeal has been an ideal opportunity for the Hays Team to get with their communities. Over the next few weeks the Hays team in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland are gift wrapping gifts and delivering Christmas boxes to ensure as many families are reached as possible. This is all made possible with donations from businesses and individuals throughout Aotearoa.
If you would like to contribute to the appeal please click on this link Christmas Shoebox Appeal.
Thank you to the Hays Recruitment team for your time and generosity.
Read more
Dunedin Community Transport Trust - promoting independence and well-being
The Catalytic Foundation would like to acknowledge the Dunedin Community Transport Trust for the essential accessibility services they provide to members of the community.
The Dunedin Community Transport Trust provides low-income elderly individuals with access to flexible and affordable transport to allow them to simply get on with their lives. It's more than just helping to get people from A to B, but also about encouraging independence and maintaining well-being.
Currently, they arrange and transport approximately 35 people on a weekly basis to and from the supermarket. This simple act of empowerment means many of these people can continue to live in their own homes independently. Shopping together as a group has also created a certain sense of belonging.
We would like to thank all the staff and volunteers of Dunedin Community Transport Trust for the work they do in assisting these low-income individuals/families to access an affordable and reliable transport service on a regular basis.
The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most.
Heart Kids Otago - providing practical aid and emotional support to heart patients and their families
We'd like to acknowledge and appreciate the work done by the Heart Kids Otago team.
Heart Kids Otago is one of the affiliated branches of Heart Kids NZ. They are a small dedicated and passionate team that provide support to families and individuals affected by heart issues. At the moment they support over 400 heart members located in the greater Otago region.
Heart Kids Otago provide support to people of all ages, individuals as well as their extended whanau. They provide practical aid and emotional support during and after treatment. This includes things like:
- Home or hospital visits
- Connecting people to professional help and community services
- Matching families to others who are experiencing a similar journey
- Assisting with access to specialised medical equipment
- Hospital/home food care packages
We are delighted to have been able to provide funding to this amazing charity. The work done by Heart Kids Otago is absolutely inspiring and makes a big difference to patients and their families.
The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most.
Pregnancy Help Dunedin - A safe space for mum and baby
We'd like to thank Pregnancy Help Dunedin and their volunteers for the amazing work they do serve pregnant women and their families throughout Dunedin.
Pregnancy Help is a charity offering a range of services to pregnant women and their families throughout Aotearoa. They provide useful information to pregnant women and their families to help them make informed decisions. They provide a safe space for pregnant women to get support through their different stages of pregnancy and also post-pregnancy.
Servicing their clients is at the core of what they do. Each regional Pregnancy Help branch has a local telephone number that any woman who is pregnant or who has recently been pregnant can ring for a friendly listening ear or guidance. The local focus means they can also assist with arranging appointments such as referrals for specialised counselling, maternity services, and WINZ, which is specific to each area.
The Catalytic foundation is happy to know that our grant assisted with the set up of Pregnancy Help Dunedin's Covid-19 Response Fund, which enabled courier services to send essential practical support out to their clients during Level 3 and 4 lockdowns. Pregnancy Help Dunedin have had to think outside the box in terms of how to service clients during a pandemic and it is good to know we were able to assist in some way.
The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most.
Presbyterian Support Otago - community services for Otago
The Catalytic Foundation acknowledges and appreciates the inspirational work done by Presbyterian Support Otago and their volunteers. We are proud to have supported their ability to provide community services throughout Otago.
Presbyterian Support Otago helps the community through services such as:
- Social events for the elderly
- Social services for families and youth
- Emergency food parcels for people in financial need
They also offer locations for the community to come together such as Shop On op shops, Youthgrow community gardens and the Ross cafe so that people can come together and socialize in safe community environments.
A highlight piece of work they do is their Buddy mentoring programme. It is a way to support the emotional and social well being of children by matching them with carefully selected and trained adult volunteers. The Catalaytic Foundation are delighted to know that our grant was able to help in the smooth functioning of this worthwhile programme.
The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most.
2021 Charity House Auction
Otago Polytechnic Charity House raised $115,000 for Otago community groups at the 15th edition of the Annual Charity House auction. 🙌
Each year, Otago Polytechnic carpentry learners build a four-bedroom house with guidance from their lecturers and generous support from many local businesses.
This project is an excellent example of the hands-on learning approach and shows how OP students make a better world.
The fully-furnished four-bedroom house was sold for $365,000 on 20th November, breaking the previous record sale of $325,000 in 2020.
Catalytic Foundation (formerly United Way NZ) will soon distribute these funds to frontline community charities in Otago.
Read more
29 days to go
29 days left to donate to the Christmas Shoebox Appeal
With the end of the year fast approaching and so many families in need of our support because of the pandemic, we’re asking you to please dig deep this year and support our Christmas Shoebox Appeal.
It is with the collective support of wonderful people like Maria and her grandchildren; Jack, Olive, Louie and Ava that we can help make a child's Christmas a happier time
Click here to Donate
Click here to order a box to fill