AUCKLAND CITY MISSION
Christmas Media Pack

Our Purpose
Helping People In Desperate Need Through Our Integrated Services And Effective Advocacy

Our Vision

In Five Years Time:
We Will Have Measurably Improved Our Clients’ Well-Being & Health And Contributed To Sustained Social Change

INTRODUCTION

Every day of the year the Auckland City Mission works to make our community a better place for all Aucklanders. We do this by providing free social services to marginalised Aucklanders and by working to ensure that the rights and needs of all groups in our community are considered when decisions about their future are made.

Christmas is the busiest time of year at the Mission. In addition to running our normal social services, which include emergency assistance, community support for older people, drug and alcohol programmes, a medical centre and programmes to support homeless people to reintegrate into the community, our work at Christmas involves:

• Hosting New Zealand’s largest Christmas Lunch with around 2,500 guests joining us to celebrate Christmas together.

• Distributing 25,000 Christmas presents to low-income families in the Auckland region. We give presents not only to people who visit the Mission directly, but also to other community groups so they can distribute presents to the families they work with.

• Providing Christmas goods along with our food parcels. The hampers provide families and individuals with Christmas treats like chocolates, biscuits, tinned fruit and a turkey or chicken which helps them organise a special Christmas at home.

• Running our largest fundraising appeal. Throughout December we work to raise funds to assist with the running of our Christmas activities and our social services. We also work to get enough presents and food to distribute to families and individuals in need. The financial target for this year’s Christmas Appeal is $900,000.

Throughout Christmas the profile of the Auckland City Mission is at its highest.

The Christmas Day Lunch is the culmination of several months of intense planning and management of the event runs side by side with all other Christmas activities, such as corporate present wrapping events for the distribution of community presents, Christmas hampers, Christmas Street Appeal, and presents for Christmas Day.

10am Extra Kitchen / Clean Up volunteers arrive
10:30am Preparation of all food done and finalised by 12.



Tuesday 25th December

6am – 2.30pm: Viaduct Events Centre
6am Cooking begins
7am Tables and venue decorated by volunteers and members of the
Mission team

10:30am Remaining volunteers arrive – approx. 450 on site

10.45 – 11.30am: Wynyard Quarter

10.45 – 11.15 Choir practise at the Gantry in Silo Park for Santa’s helpers

11.15 Opening of the final door of the Advent Calendar

11.30am – 2pm Viaduct Events Centre

11.30am Doors open

11.30 – 12.30pm Entertainment

12.30pm Welcome from the City Missioner, Diane Robertson
Short speech by Jetstar Representative (Key Sponsor)
Grace by Bishop Jim White

Christmas Lunch served

11:15pm First course finished

11:15pm Dessert served

1.30pm Father Christmas arrives
Presents distributed
Cake handed out

Christmas Menu

Main course

Chicken with gravy: 240kgs
Ham: 240kg
Gourmet Potatoes: 240kg
Roast kumara: 240kgs
Beans: 60 kg
Carrots: 60kg

Dessert

Ice-cream: 500 Litres
Fruit 100 litres
Jelly: 150 litres
Christmas Cake 2.500 slices

Decorations

Table Cloths: 165
Balloons: 500
Christmas Crackers: 3000
Presents on the day: 3000

Extras:

Lollies: 3000 bags
Chocolate: 3000 bars
Drinks: 6000 bottles
Cookies: 2500 Christmas tree cookies
Cakes: 1000

Volunteer Time

Around 200 hours of volunteer time is invested in the month preceding Christmas. Our key volunteers, who return year after year, start meeting at the Mission to plan and train in preparation for the big day.

On the day we estimate each of our 550 volunteers put in around five hours each – that’s 2750 hours of volunteer time in total.

ENDS

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