Elim Community Centre members seem to have got a lot more bang for their bucks by taking Christmas feasts to deserving Whangarei families rather than putting on a large-scale Christmas Day dinner at their church - with tearful effects.
Pastor Steven Green says many recipients cried when 52 "Christmas feast" boxes were delivered last weekend, which made the people delivering the boxes cry too.
"There were a lot of tears, a lot of hugs and not a few small boys belting round their houses in excitement. We found it an amazing experience," he said.
Elim Community Centre (formerly Equip Church) has fed about 500 needy or lonely people in its big auditorium at 33 Porowini Ave for the past two years, but this year decided a more targeted approach might be more effective, Mr Green said.
"We asked our members to sponsor boxes which would be filled with items to provide a complete Christmas feast and/or nominate recipients - people who were struggling financially or who had simply had a rotten year and deserved a break," he said.