Taupō groups want to ensure all families have a good Christmas

It is looking like a lean Christmas for many Taupō families this year. Photo / Dean Purcell

Christmas is coming and Taupō's community organisations are gearing up to make sure it’s a special one for local families.

The Awhina Society and the Salvation Army are launching their festive appeals to collect gifts and are asking the public for donations to support parents and children who are doing it tough.

Between the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising cost of living, more families than ever need an extra boost to make Christmas special.

Eileen Devane of the Awhina Society says that the need for their appeal shows no sign of letting up.

“Last year was our smallest ever, and I think we did just over 500 [children].”

So many families need extra help over the holiday that Awhina has stopped providing gifts for adults, after demand ballooned to more than 700 individuals. Similarly, its Christmas hamper donations have been restricted to the elderly in need, as numbers become too high to comfortably manage.

The story is similar in the lead-up to the Salvation Army’s “Adopt a Family” Christmas appeal.

“We’re definitely seeing the need increase,” says Micah Corbett, community ministries coordinator.

About 70 people will benefit from the appeal, but this is expected to rise over the coming weeks. Increases in grocery and power bills have made a bad situation worse, Corbett said.

For both organisations, keeping families afloat is a year-round undertaking.

The Awhina Society runs a women’s refuge, as well as the Taupō Community Foodbank. The Salvation Army manages its Family Store, which also donates clothing and furniture to those referred to it.

Awhina and the Salvation Army go the extra mile for Christmas, as they recognise the importance of a family event to look forward to.

“I talk to people who say ‘we have no plans [for Christmas], because we can’t afford anything’.”

The Adopt a Family appeal is about “trying to give them that extra special bit to make Christmas a great time for their family”, says Char Whybrow, lieutenant of the Salvation Army’s Taupō Corps.

The Salvation Army matches donors with a family to provide them with festive food and gifts. There are many ways to donate to a family, from purchasing gift cards for parents to buy presents, to buying the full Christmas gift and food experience (minus perishable food items). Donors might be individuals, businesses, or groups of families working together.

The Awhina Society requests new, unwrapped items for their Christmas appeal, as well as cash donations. It provides gifts for children up to 16 years old, and particularly welcomes gifts for the often hard-to-buy-for teenagers. They suggest that beach gear such as beach bags with towels, sunglasses and sunscreen make great gifts. Cash donations to buy gifts and food are also well received.

Contact Micah Corbett at taupo.cm@salvationarmy.org.nz for further information on the Salvation Army’s “Adopt a family” Christmas appeal. The Awhina Society’s website, taupowomensrefuge.co.nz, includes the society’s bank details for donations. First Credit Union Taupō on Te Heuheu St will put up a Christmas tree at the beginning of next month to collect donations for Awhina.