How to support us this Christmas

At this time of year, we’re reminded how generous our Upper Clutha community is. We’re already receiving lots of kind donations of food, gifts and money – and many enquiries about how best to support the work we do. So, if you'd like to donate to Community Networks/LINK this Christmas, here are a few ways you can do it!

·         Donate via our Givealittle page to help us buy food for Christmas dinner hampers for local families.

Every Christmas, the Community Networks/LINK Foodbank provides food parcels to local families. This year, we’ll be running a ‘social supermarket’ foodbank the week before Christmas, where visitors will be able to make their own choices about what to cook and eat at Christmas. Your donations will help us purchase the food for this initiative.

On average, for a family of four it costs:

• $10 for toddler snacks for a week

• $20 for a meal or toiletries kit

• $50 for Christmas dinner

• $100 for a standard food parcel for a week

·         Drop gifts off at the Wānaka Community Hub or Ray White Wānaka before December 16

These should be unwrapped so that families can choose the most appropriate gifts for their children.

·         Donate food directly to the Foodbank

We are in particular need of:

• Christmas treats (mince pies, chocs etc)

• Pavola/mini pavs

• Pasta/rice

• Pasta sauce

• Canned tuna

• Canned veg (peas, corn, beetroot etc)

• Kids snacks (raisins, muesli bars, fruit in jelly pots)

• Toiletries (shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, loo roll, soap)

We’re also asking for nominations of older people in our community who may not get to spend Christmas with family or company this year. We’ll be delivering Christmas giftboxes of edible treats to let them know someone is thinking of them, as part of our new Reconnecting Seniors project.

Anyone in the community can nominate a recipient. Please email info@communitynetworks.co.nz with their name and address.

Thank you so much for your support!