MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday 9 June 2010

The Wellington City Mission’s annual Brown Paper Bag food appeal

The Wellington City Mission, acting on behalf of foodbanks in the greater Wellington region, is holding our annual appeal for food from Thursday 17 June to Friday 2 July 2010. This is called the ‘Brown Paper Bag’ campaign, where we ask Wellingtonians to please donate items to replenish foodbank shelves for the winter.

An environmentally friendly brown paper shopping bag will be inserted into every Dominion Post home delivery the morning of Thursday 17 June … that’s around 70,000 bags delivered from Waikanae down to the Cook Strait. Radio commercials will be aired on the Breeze, Solid Gold and MoreFM stations. And thanks to Greenstone Energy, 19 Shell Service Stations are being used as collecting depots as well as Wellington City Mission offices in Newtown, Johnsonville and Titahi Bay plus Countdown Wainuiomata and the Karori Community Centre.

The facts:

• Food collected will be shared with other foodbanks, as well as The Wellington City Mission
• There will be 70,000 bags delivered from Waikanae down to the Cook Strait
• Shell Service Stations from Paraparaumu south are being used as collecting depots along with Wellington City Mission offices in Newtown and Johnsonville
• Wainuiomata Countdown, Karori Community Centre and Kemp Home and Hospital in Titahi Bay are also collection points

Our most needed items:
• Cereal
• Pasta and sauces
• Rice
• Meals in a can
• Soup
• Canned or dried vegetables
• Canned fish and meat
• Tinned fruit
• Spreads
• Biscuits and crackers
• Baby food
• Tinned spaghetti and baked beans
• Milk powder
• Sugar
• Toilet rolls
• Toothpaste and toothbrushes
• Soap
• Washing powder

Message from Father Des:

"The generosity of the people living in this fantastic city continues to amaze me. Whenever I ask people to think of those living amongst us who may be going through a particularly tough time, you respond. This is the third year The Mission has run our Brown Paper Bag food appeal, designed to help replenish foodbank shelves over the long winter months. Your support in the past has helped The Mission redistribute food to those who are struggling to achieve a reasonable quality of life. And remember, if it isn’t convenient for you to make a donation of food, you can make a monetary donation to our Foodbank any time, by visiting our website www.wellingtoncitymission.org.nz, and clicking on the ‘Please Donate’ tab. Together, we can make 2010 our best year yet! Thank you Wellington, from the bottom of our hearts.”

Filled bag drop-off locations:

Wellington City Mission Community Services
200 Riddiford Street, Newtown
Wellington 6242

Wellington City Mission Head Office
125-137 Johnsonville Road
Johnsonville
Wellington 6440

Kemp Home & Hospital
Te Pene Avenue
Titahi Bay
Porirua 5022

Karori Community Centre
7 Beauchamp Street
Karori
Wellington 6012

Countdown Wainuiomata
12 The Strand
Wainuiomata
Lower Hutt 5014

ends

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