Katikati Christmas Gift Appeal: Gifts wanted

Community connector Sjaan Rounds with the beginnings of last year's Christmas gift appeal.

It’s time for a trickle of gifts to hopefully turn into a toy-torrent ... Katikati Community Centre’s Christmas meal for families is coming up which means Katikati Advertiser is asking people to donate.

Once again, the community centre is putting on a Christmas lunch for invited families. The centre liaises with various agencies for their list of invited guests — and there’s always plenty of children and teenagers so the slap-up meal and pudding is topped off with a swag of Christmas presents to make kids and teens smile.

Community connector Sjaan Rounds says the Christmas meal is about “making sure everyone in our community gets to celebrate Christmas this year with presents for children and a delicious meal”.

“The gift appeal is a great opportunity for the community to share the Christmas spirit of love and hope with each other.’’

Toys and gifts should be new, appropriate and unwrapped as Lions Club of Katikati wraps the presents. Volunteers from Rotary Club of Katikati and Lions will help with setting up and serving meals.

In previous years Katikati Advertiser was the main drop-off point with a sea of gifts amassing under our Christmas tree in the lead-up. Sometimes the carpet couldn’t be seen with the sheer amount of goodies. Now the local office is closed, Katikati Community Centre and Katch Katikati are the main drop-off points for gifts.

If anyone would like to help with the meal, contact Sjann at the community centre.