8,000 children living in poverty would not receive Christmas presents this year if not for the Auckland City Mission.
There’s little joy in asking strangers for help this Christmas, but since last Wednesday, hundreds of people living in poverty – most of them women – have been queuing up outside the Auckland City Mission overnight, waiting to collect one Christmas gift for each of their children, as well as a modest food parcel and access to a Work and Income special needs grant of up to $100 grant to help their family through the holidays.
“Standing in the queue outside the City Mission is humiliating,” says City Missioner Chris Farrelly. “Many people travel long distances to come here, from South and West Auckland and even further away, and they wait in line for seven or eight hours until it is their turn.
“There are many individual stories about why people come to the City Mission for help,” Mr Farrelly continues. “It’s important that we know their story before we make any judgements about their situation.
“There is significant poverty in New Zealand, and it has got worse. There are two economies in New Zealand: There is a large group of people who are doing well, and another large group of very, very, very poor, marginalised, desperate people, including many children.”
According to the Child Poverty Monitor, which was released last week, 135,000 Kiwi kids – 12% of all children in New Zealand – regularly go without the things they need, including meat and fresh vegetables, shoes, heating, doctors’ visits, and suitable clothing. A further 6% – 70,000 children – are experiencing even worse hardship.
The Child Poverty Monitor uses child-specific measures of hardship to determine the impact of poverty on children; for example, when adults lack money to pay the power bill, children lack a warm, dry home. The number of children lacking material items needed to ensure their wellbeing increases drastically in decile one and two areas.
This leads to “poverty of opportunity” – children who live in material deprivation are unable to participate in hobbies with their friends, attend school trips, or do activities and sports after school. On an even more basic level, they may stay home from school itself because they lack a suitable uniform or don’t have lunch. In poor households where parents cannot even afford the basics, Christmas presents for their children are an impossible luxury.
“Children who come to the City Mission with their caregivers know that Christmas means presents,” explains Mr Farrelly. “But their family’s situation means that they probably won’t get what we consider to be the ‘essentials’ of Christmas. Their families have no money to purchase even simple Christmas presents, and they don’t have extra food to make their Christmas meal a little bit special.
“The Christmas gift they receive from the City Mission is one their parents can take home and wrap, so they can feel the joy of seeing their children open a present on Christmas morning. And for many children, this is the only Christmas gift they will receive this year.”
The City Mission is accepting donations at aucklandcitymission.org.nz. A donation of $65 will give a family of four enough to eat over Christmas. Donations of new and unwrapped children’s Christmas gifts can be dropped off at the City Mission’s Hobson Street Drop-in Centre at 140 Hobson Street, Auckland CBD or at many local libraries across Auckland.
The Mission’s annual Christmas appeal is running until 15th January 2018.
• 80 per cent of the Mission’s operating costs are funded by donations.
• The Mission needs your help to provide 8,000 children with Christmas presents this Christmas.
• Last year the Mission distributed almost 13,000 emergency food parcels to individuals and families in need. 4,000 of these were distributed in December.
Please donate to the Mission’s Christmas Appeal today at aucklandcitymission.org.nz.
This Christmas, with your help, the Mission will:
• Provide over 4,000 Christmas emergency food parcels, enabling families to celebrate Christmas at home;
• Distribute 8,000 presents to Auckland children who would otherwise not receive a Christmas present, including through other community organisations;
• Host 2,000 guests at our Christmas Lunch; and
• Continue to be there every day for Aucklanders in desperate need.
