SBS Bank steps up (twice) to help meet growing demand

25 August, 2016

SBS Bank steps up (twice) to help meet growing demand at both Ronald McDonald House South Island facilities

Growing demand for the accommodation and support provided by Ronald McDonald House South Island (RMHSI) in Christchurch and Invercargill has seen SBS Bank today announce an increase to its sponsorship at both facilities.

In 2015 RMHSI provided support for more than 1,000 families of sick children across its Christchurch and Invercargill locations. It is well on track to exceed that in 2016 with over 90 percent occupancy of rooms by families almost every night.

SBS Bank is a significant supporter of RMHSI and has sponsored one of the guest rooms in Christchurch since 2012. The 26-room House provides free accommodation and support to families of children who have to travel to Christchurch to receive medical treatment.

Their support has now been extended with SBS Bank becoming the first ever sponsor of the Christchurch House kitchen facilities, newly-named the ‘SBS Bank Family Kitchen’.

RMHSI CEO Matthew Mark, said, “The kitchen really is the ‘heart’ of our House. As well as providing modern facilities for our families and the home cooked meals from our Family Dinner Programme, the SBS Family Kitchen is an important communal space for families to talk to each other, staff and volunteers to gain strength from shared experiences.”

In May this year, SBS Bank had also increased its support through sponsoring one of the four overnight bedrooms in the Ronald McDonald Family Room attached to Southland Hospital’s neonatal unit and children’s ward in Invercargill.

As of this week, this support has again been extended with SBS Bank providing a car for the Southland team. This is the first vehicle the Family Room has had since opening in 2013 and will be used for everyday errands, taking families to and from the airport and hospital, and to pick up evening meals for families staying.

In meeting with the RHMSI team, SBS Bank’s recently appointed CEO, Shaun Drylie, said he could see a real opportunity to step up to help Ronald McDonald House South Island respond to the increasing demand on their resources.

Mr Drylie added, “During my first four weeks at SBS I’ve met many staff and customers across the country who have reinforced to me how much they value the connection SBS has in their local community. This increased sponsorship is one way we can help remove the worry from both of these hard working Ronald McDonald House teams so they can focus on supporting the families of very sick children who need to travel from around the South Island to Christchurch and Invercargill for medical care.”

Mr Mark said, “We’re delighted to strengthen our partnership with SBS Bank. Supporting Kiwi families is at the heart of what we do, which is why it’s fantastic to partner with an organisation whose members share our vision and focus on supporting the communities they serve.”

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