Visionwest preparing for the Christmas season packages. Photo / Supplied
Visionwest preparing for the Christmas season packages. Photo / Supplied
More than $50,000 of toys and Christmas food parcels are headed to thousands of tamaraki and their whanau living in hardship, as a Christmas charity initiative launches this week.
West Auckland charity Visionwest Waka Whakakitenga, which helps vulnerable whānau rise out of poverty, created the programme to help families navigate the financial challenges of Christmas.
Brook Turner, head of community service development at Visionwest, says many families are struggling and while Christmas should be a time of cheer for many it is an additional burden.
The charity’s latest food security survey showed 62 per cent of households reported running out of food on a weekly basis and felt stressed about inadequate money to buy food.
“Nearly all of those we surveyed - 77 per cent - said they had accessed food grants monthly or more.
“We also know that more often than not females with dependent children and who identify as Māori or Pasifika show up in large numbers when measuring hardship,” he says.
Turner says the charity’s Christmas From The Heart initiative is designed to respond to the “poverty pain point” of Christmas.
“What is often overlooked when it comes to food insecurity is the impact on social connection. Sharing food and extending hospitality is an important part of Māori or Pasifika culture and there is a great deal of shame associated with a whanau’s inability to contribute food in social settings.
“We also know when people are deprived of choice and connection, self-esteem and mental health plummets.
It's a team effort to pack kai for whānau.
“We created the Christmas programme to alleviate some of that stress and help people get through this busy time with dignity. Along with gifts for the children we provide food to fill empty fridges and pantries and enough for families to create a simple Christmas meal to share,” he says.
The charity will help more than 1500 families this year, providing personalised gifts for them to wrap for their children.
“It’s important to us that they retain the mana of being able to gift their child something that’s on their wish list and wrap it themselves. Families receiving the gifts and food parcels will book a slot and pick up the gifts via our drive-through so there is no having to stand in a line waiting to be attended to,” he says.
Turner says additional gifts such as Māori board games are provided as well as backyard cricket sets and other outdoor activities, which can be enjoyed by the whole whānau.
The food boxes contain pantry staples as well as chicken, vegetables, pavlova, custard and cream.
“We want to help these families create a traditional Kiwi Christmas in the most mana-preserving way possible.
“When whānau are struggling to keep a roof over their head, their power on and provide the basics for their children, Christmas can be a burden. We want to ensure that all of the families we support are able to enjoy this special time with their loved ones,” he says.
Turner says the research also showed that a significant number of those accessing help have started doing so relatively recently with an increasing proportion of Pākehā needing support.
Donated kai will help make Christmas enjoyable.
“The range of clients we are seeing is changing, with some having to reach out for help for the first time. Many are from families who lost their jobs during the pandemic, including those in the hospitality sector or in trades,” he says.
Allan Pollard, CEO of The Trusts says they are hoping to help the charity provide toys for more than 3000 tamariki in the West Auckland region this year - many of whom would be facing a festive season without gifts - as the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect vulnerable whānau.
He says while they support Visionwest throughout the year, Christmas is one of the three most financial challenging times of the year for vulnerable whānau.
“We know that growing numbers of West Aucklanders are facing extreme financial hardship and rely on the support of community charities.
“Recent inflationary pressures have hit this sector of the community hard and also restrict the funding that groups like Visionwest can access.
“With thousands more whānau having to grapple with the impact of not being able to meet the basic cost of living each week, it has become increasingly important that businesses like ours look to provide whatever support they can to these organisations,” he says.
