Daffodil Day street collection cancelled for second year in a row

Two thousand and seven hundred fundraising cupcakes were delivered in Palmerston North, Dannevirke, Feilding and Levin last Friday as part of the Daffodil Day appeal. Photo / Supplied

Covid-19 strikes again – forcing the cancellation of the Cancer Society's iconic street collection, Daffodil Day, for the second year in a row.

"Last year, we were unable to hold a street appeal in Auckland. Unfortunately, a year later, we find ourselves in a similar situation throughout all of New Zealand," said Lucy Elwood, CEO of the Cancer Society of NZ.

The cancellation of Daffodil Day will affect the organisation's fundraising efforts this year as the street appeal typically raises about $1 million.

"We've been through Covid lockdown before and the demand on our services goes up. Covid adds to the anxiety of many going through cancer. This is the time for Cancer Society and New Zealanders to step up and not step back," Elwood said.

Daffodil Day supporters will now need to donate and fundraise online or check out what their regional branches have organised as alternative options.

Jennie Wylie, Levin-based Supportive Care coordinator, said the Manawatū branch of the Cancer Society is running a huge raffle via their Facebook page, which will be drawn on Friday, August 27 (Daffodil Day).

"However, the annual charity luncheon held at the Manawatū Golf Club which was due to take place last Friday has had to be postponed until late September/early October," Wylie said.

The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand is another major supporter of the Cancer Society, organising a national Daffodil Rally for Cancer since 2017, with clubs from the Far North through to Southland holding club events to fundraise.

Unfortunately, a number of their events that were due to take place over the past week, including the Horowhenua Vintage Car Club's Show and Shine, have had to be cancelled or postponed.

The impact of Covid-19 on fundraising efforts in 2020 was huge, and the Cancer Society's major sponsor ANZ increased their level of support accordingly.

Being the principal sponsor of Daffodil Day for over 30 years, ANZ will step up again this year by matching all donations made through its Digital Daffodil to try and minimise the effect of the lockdown.

ANZ has created a daffodil that accepts donations simply by scanning the QR code on it via their website: www.anz.co.nz/donate.

Wylie said it was easy to get back into the swing of remote communications and organisation with good systems having being put in place during lockdown last year.

"[In the Manawatū branch area], fully vaccinated drivers are available to transport patients to their various appointments ... including to get their [Pfizer] vaccinations if people don't have other support available," she said.

"The tag-line for our Daffodil Day campaign is 'Cancer doesn't stop, so we won't either'. We are truly living those words right now – cancer doesn't stop because of Covid. Our staff are going above and beyond to support those using our services, communicate updates on scheduled treatments and addressing any issues that are being experienced," said Elwood.

Support your local Cancer Society this Daffodil Day, Friday, August 27, at daffodilday.org.nz