Midwinter support
Wānaka winters can be tough for anyone, but there is support available to help you keep warm and well. If you’re in need of a little extra help, pop in and see Community Networks/LINK at the Wānaka Community Hub.
We can help you access a range of practical support to help you with day-to-day needs, including food parcels, vouchers and our Community Support Fund.
This fund is there to help individuals and families in the Upper Clutha with the costs of counselling; school uniform or stationery; household costs such as power and medical bills; and one-off costs like fuel and firewood. Anyone can access this fund via a health professional, such as a GP, social worker or Public Health nurse.
We can offer some support in the form of vouchers for those financial necessities, including Wastebusters vouchers to buy warm clothing and bedding from the Wānaka reuse shop. If helpful, we can also connect you to additional welfare support, like financial mentors or social workers. More about that next week.
As always, the Community Networks/LINK Foodbank is open for anyone struggling to make ends meet by taking some of the pressure off day-to-day living costs for a while, Monday 1:00pm - 4:00pm; Wednesday 11:00am - 2:00pm; and Friday 9:00am - 12:00pm. For more information and to download a client form, head to our website.
If you’re looking to help local families this winter, Murray Walker, a local ‘Young Aged Pensioner’, is fundraising for the Community Networks/LINK Community Support Fund by asking local seniors receiving the Work and Income Winter Energy Payment to consider donating. Murray grew up in cold Timaru winters with minimal heating and no insulation, and this is what is driving him to make sure there are no ‘cold kids’ this winter.
If you’d like to help, there are many ways to show your support - visit http://www.communitynetworks.co.nz/support-us to find out how. If cash donations aren’t an option right now, you could also think about donating bedding, heating and warm clothing to a local op shop.