Angels bring Christmas to struggling families

Lee Mason, of Kaikohe's Seventh Day Adventist Church, selects presents collected by the charity Bald Angels for families in need. PHOTO / PETER DE GRAAF

Some of the Far North's neediest families will have a brighter Christmas thanks to a local charity.

Every December for the past five years the Bald Angels have run a toy drive, collected donations and used some of the money raised throughout the year to buy a small mountain of food.

They then invite social agencies to take what they need to put together Christmas packs for the struggling families they work with.

Inky Vinkof Takou Bay, a Bald Angels founder member, said this year the charity had bought $6000 worth of food, including meat packs and fresh vegetables, and received about 1200 children's presents, more than double last year's tally. Other donations included 56 hams from Waipapa Lions.

The Bald Angels did not distribute the gifts themselves but left it to the agencies who knew where help was most needed.

''People get really emotional. They're just so thankful,'' she said.

The presents were not wrapped until after they had selected so the agencies could target them to the children they worked with. Gifts had been donated from as far away as Auckland, Mrs Vink said.

Among those making up gift packs on Tuesday was Inspector Chris McLellan of Mid North Police. He was focusing on food and practical items which might not make it on to family shopping lists due to cost.

Tomorrow they will be loaded into the police van and delivered to up to 30 families nominated by staff around the Mid and Far North.

''We realise it's just one day a year but it lets people know someone cares. We've had people crying in previous years.''

It also helped build trust and confidence in the police, Mr McLellan said.

There had been recent instances of officers spending hundreds of dollars of their own money to help families out of a tight spot, he added.

Other agencies involved this year include Ngapuhi Social Services, Te Hau Ora o Ngapuhi, Women's Refuge, Mid North Family Support, Kaikohe Seventh Day Adventist Church and Foster Hope.