Gumboot up: Sanders Pharmacy smash fundraising goal days before nationwide fundraising day

The team at Sanders Pharmacy are putting in a huge effort to raise money for youth to access counselling services quicker. Photo / Caitlan Johnston

Before the day has even arrived, Sanders Pharmacy has already achieved their fundraising goal to contribute to Gumboot Up Friday and the I Am Hope charity.

The fundraising efforts in store have been led by employee Allison Gallagher and include themed items for sale, a hamper raffle, donation 'gumboots' scattered throughout the store and there will be a sausage sizzle tomorrow.

There is also a colouring competition for the kids and Te Awamutu Police Community Constable Ryan Fleming will randomly select four winners tomorrow.

He will also draw the raffle for the hampers.

A number of local businesses have come on board and donated the prizes for the hampers loaded with hundreds and hundreds of dollars' worth of gifts.

Some of these include Paper Plus who has donated Chelsea Winter's latest cookbook, Hide Away Hair Salon who has donated a travel pack and voucher and the Store Room who has donated ready to make cookie and soup jars.

Finch Contracting have also donated four $20 Paper Plus vouchers which will go to the lucky winners of the colouring competition.

And Expleo Butchery has donated the sausages.

Allison says this year the team at Sanders Pharmacy has really got behind the cause.

"It's something that all the staff are really passionate about so they're happy to get behind it," says Allison.

I Am Hope is a youth and community focused support group run by The Key to Life Charitable Trust, started by Mike King with a focus on raising funds for young people to access private care and counselling quicker.

At the moment kids and teenagers seeking counselling have to wait at least six months.

"We've got a lot of people with mental health disorders as patients, we know the benefits of counselling and we need to get kids and teenagers access to counselling quicker than they currently are because having to wait six to nine months is too long," says Allison.

This year I Am Hope has a goal to raise $5 million through tomorrow Gumboot up Friday fundraising initiative.

Last year they raised $2m which funded 15,500 counselling sessions.

Raffle tickets can be purchased from the pharmacy and the sausage sizzle will be running tomorrow out front the pharmacy.