MEDIA RELEASE

Monday 18 December 2006

Christmas gift appeal calls for help in its final week

The Salvation Army and Barnardos are asking New Zealanders to consider families in need this week, by donating a present to the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal.

By last Friday (December 15) 9,760 of presents had been donated to the appeal. With an aim to collect 23,000 gifts by Christmas Eve, there is still a long way to go to helping needy families this Christmas.

The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal is New Zealand’s largest Christmas gift appeal for families in need. Presents are collected by Kmart and distributed locally by The Salvation Army and Barnardos to families that are unable to afford Christmas presents.

Gerry Walker from The Salvation Army says many more presents are still needed, but he is confident the target will be reached.

“Kiwis are generous people, and I know they’ll think about families who can’t afford the luxury of buying for loved ones at this time of year. All we ask is for people to donate a small gift to the appeal. It will make a huge difference to someone’s Christmas,” he says.

To participate in the appeal, simply place a gift (wrapped or unwrapped) underneath the Wishing Tree at any one of Kmart’s 14 stores across New Zealand. Gifts do not need to be purchased from Kmart – all gifts will be gratefully received and will go towards helping brighten someone’s Christmas.

As an alternative to donating a gift, people can make a cash contribution at any Kmart store register. One hundred percent of cash contributions are converted by Kmart into Kmart gift vouchers, which are then distributed to people in need by welfare groups, allowing appeal recipients to choose their own Christmas gift.

The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal was launched by Dancing with the Stars co-host Candy Lane on 13 November and will continue until Christmas

Last year the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal collected a record 22,859 gifts for families in need and over the past 11 years the appeal has helped more than 126,000 New Zealanders.

Ends

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