Hadlow School pupils have packed good tidings and gifts for children in need in places like Vanuatu through the Operation Christmas Child charity.
Religious education teacher Margaret McLean-Craig said families had been compiling donations since early last month and the gifts, which are packed ready in a shoebox or similar sized carton, will be sent over the coming two weeks.
Included in the gifts were toiletries like soap, toothbrushes or hairclips, stationery like exercise books, pencil cases and erasers - their workings are erased and the pages used again - toys, dolls or soft toys, and clothing like T-shirts, beanies, sandals, skirts or shorts.
The shoeboxes are gathered together in Auckland, she said, sent overseas in container loads and "from there get taken by camel or llama, boat or helicopter to a village and distributed to the children". Each shoebox is designated for a boy or girl and in one of three age groups ranging from 2 to 14, she said, and a $9 donation accompanies each to help pay for shipping.
The gifts from Hadlow School are bound for children living in Melanesia in the southwest Pacific and southeast Asia, Mrs McLean-Craig said, and giving to the needy was in keeping with the Christian character of the Masterton school of "caring and sharing".
