"I think it's wonderful - our role is to teach and learn but to do that kiddies need to be warm, healthy, fed and happy - it puts them in a better position to be successful at school."
U-Turn Trust chief executive Ana Apatu said feedback from teachers and parents revealed "pyjamas are a luxury" for some children in Hawke's Bay's poorer communities.
"It's all about the children, we need to keep them happy and healthy," she said. "It's been a particularly bitter winter - we received a lovely quote from [Children's Commissioner] Dr Russell Wills, which says if children are warm at night, they will sleep better and it will be easier for them to learn."
This was the first year U-Turn had partnered with other organisations to help clothe needy children.
They learned a lot and would take positive lessons away from the experience.
"We have been told that pyjamas are a luxury and thermals are better because they can be worn during the day and at night. But when you hand them a package and see their little faces light up, it's something special."
Other children in the region would also receive tracksuits and thermals through the scheme.
Next year they hoped to shift the focus of the jarmy army to younger children - from babies upward who were seen as being high risk.
Plunket did a lot of work with the U-Turn Trust and, with nurses going into homes, were also able to distribute snuggly sleepwear, blankets and duvets to families in need.
"By the end of June 2015 we had given out roughly 300 sets of warm clothes worth more than $2000," HB, Gisborne and Wairoa community services leader Tanya Jain said.
