MEDIA RELEASE: AUCKLAND CITY MISSION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 26 November 2013

‘BECOME SOMEONE’S ANGEL’ AND COLLECT FOR THE AUCKLAND CITY MISSION

• The Auckland City Mission’s annual Christmas street appeal takes place on Friday, 6 and Saturday, 7 December 2013

• The City Mission has declared Friday, 6 December, Auckland’s first ever ‘Angel Day’

• The Mission needs to raise $1 million to help Auckland families in desperate need

The Auckland City Mission’s annual Christmas street appeal takes place throughout Auckland on Friday, 6 and Saturday, 7 December 2013.

The City Mission is urgently calling all Aucklanders to ‘Become Someone’s Angel’ to collect much-needed funds for thousands of Auckland families in desperate need.

The Mission has also declared Friday, 6 December, Auckland’s first ever ‘Angel Day’, and is encouraging all street appeal collectors to turn out in angel wings and other angelic attire.

This Christmas, the Mission needs to raise $1 million to provide food, clothing, medical care, and other vital support to Auckland families facing hardship – not only at Christmastime, but also in the coming year.

“Christmas is always our time of greatest need, and the demand for our support services continues to increase. Over the past four years, the number of people the Mission helped rose by 188 per cent,” explains Diane Robertson, Auckland City Missioner.

According to Diane, in the fortnight before Christmas Day last year, the Mission distributed 2150 emergency parcels to families in desperate need, compared to the monthly range of between 500 and 800 parcels issued during the rest of the year.

At Christmas, many Aucklanders are dealing with emergencies, such as job loss or ill health. Desperate circumstances force individuals and families to turn to the Mission for help.

“This Christmas, I want to encourage all Aucklanders to ‘Become Someone’s Angel’ and collect in our street appeal. You never know who you might be helping: the stranger at the bus stop; a family member affected by unemployment; a colleague experiencing a health crisis, or a child you know who may not have much to look forward to, this festive season,” says Diane.

Angel wings will start appearing all around Auckland from this coming weekend (30 November 2013). And from Friday, 6 December, visitors to Silo Park will also have the chance to add their own Christmas messages to a giant tree of Angel Wings.

To ‘Become Someone’s Angel’ and join the Mission’s Christmas street appeal as a collector, register at www.aucklandcitymission.org.nz.

ENDS

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