Farmers store does it for Hospice

Farmers and Hospice management and staff gather to celebrate another successful Christmas fundraiser Photo / Paul Brooks

Every year, Farmers stores nationwide team up with their local hospice to raise funds for the latter. The Whanganui Farmers store and Hospice Whanganui got together with the Whanganui public and together raised $10,662.

Hospice staff arrived at Farmers last week with a scrumptious morning tea and loads of gratitude.

The funds were raised when Farmers customers bought a card to write in and put on the in-store Christmas tree, or bought special Hospice-themed glass baubles to take home to their own trees. That required exemplary customer service and initiative on the part of Farmers’ staff. The baubles sold out.

“We’ve got a good team here,” says Sam Millward, Farmers store manager. “People are very willing to give ... some people give multiple times: it’s not a ‘one and done’.” Other customers gave large donations. “But if everyone gave a dollar, that would be great,” she says.

It’s a given that a lot of people relate to Hospice and the work they do.

Davene Vroon, Hospice Whanganui chief executive, says that $10,600 is the exact amount required to run the organisation’s patient management system.

“It’s transformational,” she says. “We couldn’t run it without [that money]. In tangible terms, it’s real for us.”

The baubles have become collectibles, so it’s not surprising that they sold more than 15,000 of them across the country.

“We do a lot of charity drives here,” says Sam, “And Hospice is the easiest to collect for because it stays locally.

“We ask a lot of our customers, and we really appreciate it every time someone says yes. We know it’s not a given ... the community here is amazing.”