Kiwi Icons step up to help families in need

Two iconic New Zealand businesses have stepped in to help The Salvation Army this Christmas, as the charity struggles to meet the rising demand for its services - particularly in Auckland.

This follows the vandalism of 5,588 Christmas gifts at The Salvation Army’s Royal Oak Centre last Thursday night, valued at more than $5,000. The gifts, donated to the Sallies as part of the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal, had to be destroyed when they were covered in glass from smashed windows.

Over the past few days both The Warehouse and Air New Zealand have pledged their support, beginning with the weekend delivery of 16 pallets of Warehouse toys to The Salvation Army’s Royal Oak Centre.

The Warehouse CEO, Simon Turner said: “Christmas should be one of the happiest times of year for all Kiwis so we wanted to ensure that no one missed out this year.

We’re thrilled to be able to deliver almost 4,000 toys to help local families and support the tireless work that The Salvation Army does in fighting poverty and social distress in New Zealand.”

The support from Air New Zealand comes in the form of a generous donation, to be used to purchase gifts for children who would otherwise miss out.

Centre manager Rod Ellis says that the gifts from the Warehouse and Air New Zealand will help to meet an urgent need.

“Compounding last week’s loss due to vandalism, we are also seeing a 30-50% increase in demand across our Auckland centres, as well as an increasing number of children who risk missing out on Christmas due to their family’s financial hardship.

This generosity from The Warehouse and Air New Zealand, in addition to the valuable contributions made from the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal this Christmas, means that we can help children more than ever.”

To find out more about the work of The Salvation Army this Christmas go to www.salvationarmy.org.nz

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