Hundreds more students to receive KidsCan programme support this NZ Children’s Day

KidsCan is marking New Zealand Children’s Day by announcing the addition of 10 schools to its family of KidsCan partner schools. This takes the number of schools with access to the charities food, clothing and health programmes to 709 schools nationwide.

“We are humbled and thankful for the support of the generous Kiwis who have joined us during our Back-to-School appeal this term, and we’re delighted to announce that their support means an additional 1,465 Kiwi kids will now get the basics they need,” says KidsCan CEO and Founder Julie Chapman.

The schools joining the KidsCan programmes are from Northland, Auckland, Waikato, and the Hawkes Bay.

Robin Fabish, Principal of Tamatea High School in Napier says they’re extremely grateful to now be part of the KidsCan family. “Living in poverty and the shame that goes with that can have an immense impact on a child’s learning. Our parents are doing the best they can and we’re proud to say we’re a KidsCan partner school doing all we can to make sure our students have the resources they need to make the most of their education. They only get one shot at it.”

While Michael Fletcher, Principal of Chaucer School in Auckland says KidsCan support will be invaluable. “Our vision is 'Empowering confident learners' and that is what KidsCan helps you do. I was involved with KidsCan at my previous school and I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact it had, from increased self-esteem to improved attendance and positive interactions”

Bringing onboard 10 new schools is such an encouraging start to the year says Julie Chapman, but she is calling on more Kiwis to take action and support Kiwi Kids in need by signing up to become monthly donors.

The call comes on the back of the biggest first-term food distribution carried out by the charity with almost one and a half million food items* sent to 598 schools in February.

“There are a lot of compassionate Kiwis out there, and we’re lucky to have the support of our principal partner Meridian Energy and other sponsors, but the fact remains as a country we need to acknowledge just how bad the level of deprivation is in our own backyard.

“Thousands of hard working families here in New Zealand, not overseas but right here, do not have enough money to provide the basics and live with dignity. It’s not only in Auckland, just this week I saw a report rents in Wellington now match those in Auckland. Rents are going up nationwide and so too are living expenses,” says Julie Chapman.

The charity is now feeding 32,000 children a week, most of whom need KidsCan food daily, in 16 regions across New Zealand, and over the last five years, on average it has gone from feeding 11% of a school roll to 21%.

The latest KidsCan survey of partner schools revealed 90% of teachers said they had noticed an improvement in behaviour and concentration in the classroom since joining KidsCan.

Kiwis who want to help KidsCan on its mission to provide food, shoes, socks, raincoats and basic health and hygiene items to Kiwi kids in need so they can get into a classroom in a position to learn, are being urged to visit wwww.KidsCan.org.nz.

“Come on New Zealand. Let’s give Kiwi kids in need the hand up they deserve so they can break the cycle of poverty,” says Julie Chapman.

www.kidscan.org.nz

The KidsCan Programme Effectiveness Survey was carried out in 2015.

*Total number of food items sent over two-week distribution in February = 1,490,222.

The food provided by KidsCan consists of Tip Top fresh bread, fruit pottles, Tasti scroggin mix and snack bars, Watties baked beans, EasiYo yoghurt, Craig’s and Sanitarium spreads.

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