Local charities share $4000 donation

Four local charities collected their share of a total of $4000 at a morning tea hosted by Z Petrol Station Stratford on Friday.

"Good In The Hood" is a nationwide promotion run by Z, which identifies local charitable community groups and organisations in need of a financial boost to receive the money. Customers who made purchases at the Z station during May were given an orange token and invited to vote for the group they wished to support.

In Stratford, the groups were Hospice Taranaki, Central Safe Community Trust, S.T.A.R.T Taranaki and Little Fighters Trust.

All present on the day said they were grateful for the opportunity to bolster funds and have their name out there in the community.

"It is great to meet with all the groups and learn a bit more about what they do in our community," says Jacinta Hurley, who along with her husband John is the owner operator of the service station.

It is always a "feel good" exercise for the staff, says store manager Glen Hopgood, who adds he and all the team have really enjoyed finding out more about each of the groups who have been chosen to receive the funds. He adds that each time the promotion, now in its fourth year, runs the Stratford store receives more than a dozen applications from groups that want to be included.

Staff then sit down and vote on who they think should be featured that time. "Because who better to know than the locals when it comes to good work in the community?"

Glen adds while the groups can often be spread throughout the region, "we aim for groups who work with people in Stratford".

Jacinta says the promotion is one of her favourite parts of running the business, telling the groups present "and our support doesn't stop with this cheque".

"Keep in touch with us throughout the year, and let us know when you need help. Hand on heart, we mean that."

After all the orange counters were counted, the distribution of the money was as follows:

- Hospice Taranaki: $1744

- Little Fighters Trust: $1058

- S.T.A.R.T Taranaki: $619

- Central Safe Community Trust: $579

To find out more about each of these great community groups, and how they will be putting the money to use, keep an eye on the Stratford Press. Over the next few weeks, we will be running a series of articles showcasing each of the groups and their work.