Project Christmas To Make A Merrier Christmas For Many

$10,000 worth of gifts and vouchers will be given to the communities of Christchurch who need it most thanks to Project Christmas.

The Rebuild Christchurch Foundation is giving back to the earthquake affected communities as part of Project Christmas which was launched to provide a little seasonal cheer to Christchurch people and families affected by the earthquakes who would normally not get assistance from other charities or organisations.

Rebuild Christchurch’s Deon Swiggs says a generous $5000 cash grant from the Mainland Foundation and a further $2000 of discounts from The Warehouse brings the total value of gifts and vouchers that Rebuild Christchurch will distribute to those in need, to $10,000.

Swiggs says he and his team have all been blown away by the generous support they have been given over such a short period of time.

“Christchurch families have experienced great loss this year and there are many who are continually struggling day to day and this project has been launched to identify and support those who really need it,” he says.

The Rebuild Christchurch Foundation initially had $3000 available for families and people, each nominated to receive gifts and groceries valued up to $200. Swiggs says they are now in a position to provide Christmas gifts to many more families thanks to generous individuals in the Christchurch community, businesses from around New Zealand and a trust, who are looking for ways to give back.

On Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd December, the Rebuild Christchurch Foundation team will be delivering Christmas gifts to families who have been nominated via the website www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz To date more than 300 families have been nominated and it’s not been limited to nomination via the Internet.

“With support from the Kakakura Health Services we have been able to identify many families in need who don’t have access to the Internet. The Foundation has received a wide range of requests for assistance by a large cross section of the community. These range from elderly who have lost everything to young families struggling due to job losses, and solo parents who are struggling due to family violence,” he says.

Snap shot of Nominations: (names have been changed for privacy reasons)

I wish to nominate Sally and Mike as after the February 22nd earthquake they lost their house in the East of ChCh. They are a young hardworking couple and have 2 children aged 13 mths and 2 and a half. They had to get friends to move all their belongings out of their house into their garage and then go and live with both sets of their parents until August this year when they had to find a place of their own with their 2 young children. It has been a real challenge for this couple. They have managed to keep going but just wish they could move back into a home that is theirs again and have no idea when this could be. This couple has asked for nothing during this time but I think they are deserving of something nice in their lives.

“We have been having problems getting presents and food for Christmas as we have paid our bills and paying the school fees and other things the kids need for school, we are also paying a small amount towards the camps for next year for the kids at school, and we can't afford to get presents or food for the kids. My husband has Parkinson's and it’s hard as we are trying to make ends meet since the earthquake. We don’t have a car so we can't even go away out of Christchurch for a few weeks over the holidays. Please can you try and help us as the children will not have a very happy Christmas and New Year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you who reads this.”

“Due to the quake we have lost job after job this year. We have had to leave our home, and within the last month we discovered our new house is full of asbestos and the ceiling has not been sealed this whole time, so we have been in danger of breathing in the fibres. We have two small children and everything this year is just getting to much. My husband can only get temp work and he has been let go twice this year and is at risk of being let go right on Christmas due to the factory downsizing. We are very low earners, just above minimum wage but we try to keep life happy for our 2 young children.”

“Hi, I am a 22yr old solo mum of 2 young children due to turn 2 and 1 this month. I was a victim of domestic violence which I experienced because of the earthquakes and stress. I had to restart our home on my own, was ripped off by some thug. I'm really struggling to come to terms with the fact I'm struggling to deal with the kids birthdays and Christmases let alone worry about having a decent special Xmas dinner and day. I and my two beautiful children would really appreciate any help we could get but if somebody else needs more assistance than us please consider them first, thank you all very much for what you guys are doing on behalf of our beautiful city, Christchurch. xo love Hayley, Sara and Miller.”

“I live in Dallington in the green zone, but we are still affected daily with the constant reminder of the Feb earthquake. I am a single working mother of 6 children with no family support in ChCh. After the earthquake I had to stop working for 5 months as my childminder left the city. I am working again now but I am still just getting by, managing to pay mortgage and bills but have very limited monies for the extras. My children were very badly affected by the earthquake and thankfully they are all very close and caring so we managed to get through this together with lots of love! A little extra at this time would take the pressure off me and provide my children with a lovely Christmas day that they deserve
thanks.”

“I would like to nominate my sister Rebecca as after the February earthquake her family of 8 at the time was given a week to move out and because they couldn’t find a house that fast she went to Motueka for 2 weeks until her husband found them a house but had to leave most of the kids toys and clothes behind. She has now just had twins and is finding it hard to buy enough presents for everyone as she now has 8 children under 10. I hope you can help, thank you :)”

“Hi. I’m a mum of 3 boys 4, 5 & 12. We have had a hard year with the earthquakes and my ex partner assaulted myself and took all our money!! He got 3 years jail. I’m trying my hardest to make their Christmas special but I am finding it very hard!! If you guys could help me and my boys out, we would be so thankful!!”

“Hello we are a young family whom lost our rental home of 7 years along with almost all our contents and our vehicle. We have relocated to another rental in Aranui but still have not managed to replace any lost items or our vehicle. Any vouchers or money would be greatly appreciated to be able to start over again. I have recently undergone (an operation) and my partner is due to have (a surgery). We have a teenage daughter. We would love to just be able to buy a cheap car for around $1000 or under and also replace some lost items. Unfortunately we had no insurance. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to nominate me and my family. E-mail is our only contact at this stage.”

“I would like to nominate the Thompson family in Avondale. They are having a lot of ups and downs at the moment with their home and a rental both in bad shape. Their son Peter has had to have major surgery this month and their baby boy passed away an hour after he was born last week. This is a very loving and happy family that has been through a lot this year. They deserve a special Christmas.”

“I would really love some help for my family especially my 6 year old son Philip. This year has been very hard on our family and to make matters even harder my husband Mike has had 4 heart attacks in the last 2 months and as a result has lost his job. We would love to make this Christmas a memorable one for our son as we don’t know what is going to happen to Mike as he has to have more surgery on 9 January. Thank you for considering my nomination.”
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