Donations to The Greatest Needs Appeal have provided this Tokoroa family with firewood to get through the winter.
The Greatest Needs Appeal is Momentum Waikato’s ongoing response to the Covid-19 crisis.
Launched during the April lockdown, our call for donations to support in-need locals has slotted into the overall coordination of the Waikato Community Funders Group and the outreach gateway service provided by the ‘Here to Help U’ online support tool launched by Community Waikato.
During that Level 4 period the emphasis was on getting food parcels out, with our partners at Wise Group activating our Houchens Retreat as a kitchen early on, and then coordinating the big food effort at the Claudelands event centre kitchens.
The need to get this basic aid to the most vulnerable was very real, but through the generosity of people around the Waikato, we were able to support these efforts, making sure that the many donations we received got to where they would have the most impact.
Although the demand and the donations peaked during that time, gifts of money have continued to come in since, so we have been putting more recent support into supplying winter warmth essentials around the Waikato.
Here is where the Greatest Needs Appeal most recently made a difference.
Good News Community Centre - blankets
The Good News Community Centre in Hamilton offers a range of programmes and services including an after-school drop-in centre and youth mentoring programme, Golden Agers support, Te Reo Maori and flax-weaving classes, community meals and a food hub. Through the winter local people have been asking for blankets to keep their families warm.
Whangamata Community Services Trust - blankets
The Whangamata Community Services Trust is the only social service provider for their rohe. They provide wraparound services including counselling, budgeting, whanau support and food parcels. Since Covid-19 began they have seen an increase in demand for their services, especially from people who have not previously reached out for help.
Recently they assisted a young man who was homeless, sleeping in a tent at a local DOC camping ground, with the gift of a woollen blanket, for which he was extremely grateful. Another man approached them looking for bedding, as he had moved house and only had a sleeping bag.
Te Kuiti Community House - blankets, firewood, rain-jackets and food
Te Kuiti Community House is working with the Journey Church to distribute blankets and firewood, and are giving raincoats to the town’s lowest decile primary school.
South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services Trust - firewood
The South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services Trust continues to be inundated with requests for firewood - last week they were still providing firewood to 13 families. In previous times supplies from community organisations such as Lions or Rotary or by going out to the bush, but this has not been possible during the Covid-19 situation.
If you want to assist your fellow Kiwis during these difficult times, please make a donation via https://momentumwaikato.nz/donate and we’ll ensure it gets to where its really needed in the Waikato.