Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Auckland City Mission gears up for start of the school year

Thursday January 24


The Auckland City Mission gears up for start of the school year

As families get ready for the return to school the Auckland City Mission is once again preparing to support the city’s most vulnerable families.

New figures released today shows the mission faced the greatest ever demand for its emergency food parcels last year. It distributed more than 21 thousand food parcels in 2018 – that is a 55 per cent increase on 2017. (Jan-Dec 2017 – 13,846 parcels distributed, Jan – Dec 2018 - 21,404 parcels distributed) These figures, Mission Social Services General Manager Helen Robinson says, show a dramatic increase in the demand for food – pointing to the reality of a hunger crisis now present in our country.

She says Christmas is the busiest time for the mission and one of the most stressful periods for its clients. That’s reflected in today’s figures. The Mission distributed 8,242 food parcels in December – providing more than 300 thousand individual meals in that time. That also represented a big jump in demand. In December 2017 the Mission gave out 4,680 food parcels.

Ms Robinson says Aucklanders once again showed their generosity and support – with the Christmas appeal raising $1,641,701.03 – that not only helped bring some joy to families in need over the festive season – but will help the Mission support families as they prepare to send their children back to school.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“Christmas is a real time of need for many people. We know too, this time of year is a difficult one for families as children return to school. For families on inadequate incomes this means often, there is not enough money left over for food. We are very grateful for the support of the Auckland community to our appeal, and want to say thank you – your support means we can respond to the very real and desperate needs of thousands of Aucklanders, something we see each day at the Mission.”


ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.