Christmas Appeal Exceeds Expectations by 50%

20/12/2007 | Christmas Appeal

In an outstanding effort MidCentral District Health Board (MDHB) exceeded its 1000 present goal by 50 per-cent for this year’s Christmas present appeal and food banks drive.

A big thank you is sent out to all the public and MDHB staff for their overwhelming generosity. Together Palmerston North Hospital and Horowhenua Health Centre collected nearly 1500 presents and 500 food items.

Palmerston North Hospital collected almost 1200 presents to join with Kmart’s Wishing Tree Appeal, putting the department store in the running to be this year’s national winner. More than 300 food items have also been collected.
And Tiritea School in Palmerston North was a contributing factor to this success and the students there deserve a big thank you. The students were learning about the value of giving and decided they would like to join with MDHB in the Christmas appeal. They collected 111 presents and 42 items of food.

Palmerston North Hospital spokeswomen Claire McMahon says everyone is blown away at the generosity shown this year.

“We’ve been running this appeal for four years and each year we continue to be amazed at the region’s Christmas spirit. We know of staff members who collect presents all year in anticipation of the appeal, and this year it was extra special to have Tiritea School’s support.

“In addition to the staple food items requested for the food banks drive, we have also seen some yummy Christmas treats included, from boxes of chocolates to Christmas pudding. We really hope our efforts help to give needy families in the region a better Christmas,” she says.

And Horowhenua Health Centre coordinator Melinda Van Der Made reported nearly 300 presents and hundreds of food items collected for the Levin Salvation Army to distribute.

“I really want to thank the general public and staff for their support,” she says.

The Christmas appeal runs annually during December for the three weeks before Christmas. The appeal ends tomorrow.

CONTACT:
Communications Unit: (06) 350-8945 or for Horowhenua, Melinda Van Der Made: (06) 350 4407