New and returning initiatives are taking place this Christmas to help support local people in need and, as always, there are lots of ways to get involved.

The annual A Little Ray of Giving promotion has begun for 2023, with Ray White Wānaka collecting gifts, non-perishable food items and essential food items. 

Each year the gifts and other goods are collected by Ray White and then provided to Community Networks/LINK for distribution to people experiencing financial hardship.

The donations also help to stock the organisation’s food bank, which is available year-round. 

Locals can make donations of gifts at Mitre 10 MEGA, which will be distributed to local children via Community Networks/LINK.

Community Networks/LINK food security project officer Yvonne Walker said the organisation was grateful to Ray White Wānaka, as well as other businesses running similar initiatives to support the organisation’s users.

“We have already had a huge amount of support from the community in the way of experiences, gifts and food,” she said. 

This support will help to meet the growing need in the community, as the cost of living crisis continues to affect locals.

A good gauge of local need is the Community Networks/LINK’s food bank usage.

“Currently we are averaging around 100 food parcels per month,” Yvonne said, “feeding about 215 people in our community". 

Food for Love is running a Christmas Cook.

“This is more than double what we were doing the same time last year.”

Yvonne said Community Networks estimates it will provide around 120 Christmas hampers to local families this year.

It’s not a traditional Christmas hamper format: “The Wānaka Community Hub auditorium is full of food and gifts, set up like a supermarket, for people to choose what they need,” Yvonne said.

“People in need in the community are referred to us by several different agencies to receive one of these hampers,” she said. “People on our database are also able to come into Community Networks/LINK to register for this.”

Other initiatives which will support Community Networks/LINK this Christmas include the ‘gifting tree’ at New World Three Parks, where people can donate food or gifts, or they can make monetary donations at the checkout; a Kindness Collective donation box at Mitre 10 Mega, where gifts for children can be dropped off; or drop off donations of goods or gifts at one of the collection points during Extreme Roofing’s ‘Christmas Convoy’ collection campaign on Saturday December 16. 

Yvonne said anyone who wants to donate can also drop off items to the food bank at the Wānaka Community Hub (toiletries, breakfast cereals, tinned food, pasta, chocolate treats, rice, tea, coffee, breakfast spreads, oil and tomato sauce are particularly sought after).

Yet another way to help out this Christmas is by supporting the Christmas Cook Campaign being run by Food for Love.

“An army of dedicated Food For Love volunteers will be preparing and cooking a delicious Christmas meal, which will be delivered to nominees on Christmas Day,” Food for Love manager Jodie Stuart said.

Unlike the Community Networks/LINK Christmas hampers, which are specifically for people experiencing financial hardship, the Food For Love Christmas Cook is designed to support people who may be alone this Christmas, those who are unwell or people who are facing challenging situations such as having a new baby, injuries or struggling with their mental health, Jodie said.

She said nominations will be opening on December 1 on the Food For Love website, and if anyone wants to help they can sign up as a driver to help deliver a few meals on Christmas morning or make a financial contribution towards the campaign. 

Find more information on all the ways to give in the ‘Christmas’ section in the Wānaka App.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App