Greater Wellington staff raises $12,000 koha for Wellington City Mission

This week Greater Wellington staff donated $12,000 to Wellington City Mission in support of the charity's work in our region.

General Manager of Corporate Services, Samantha Gain, is delighted with the sum, which was raised from the sale of second-hand furniture and equipment as staff shifted offices late last year.

"Our move to Cuba St saw our Wellington-based people reunite under one roof for the first time in half a decade, after earthquake damage caused us to scatter throughout the city. When considering what to do with excess furniture and supplies, it was really important for us to be as sustainable as possible. We donated a lot of furniture, homeware and crockery directly to homeless charities and the Salvation Army. The office furniture that we couldn't reuse were offered to staff for koha.

"It's been fantastic to see our people rally around this fundraising effort. People paid generously for the used furniture knowing that the money would be donated towards a good cause that would benefit our community," says Ms Gain.

The donation went to Wellington City Mission, which works across organisations to connect people to the help they need, regardless of circumstances. The Mission provides a wide range of services, from food support through their Social Supermarket, supported Transitional Housing, budgeting advice and financial mentoring, to accessing support and advocacy. On top of welfare services, the Mission offers a safe space for people to come together to enjoy each other's company and foster a sense of community.

Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge says, "We talk a lot about dignity and how do we make sure that people can live with dignity. So when donors support us, we are able to offer choices to the people we work with. Daily, we see wonderful stories of transformation - of people who we support making positive changes in their lives and as a consequence we are seeing people made whole, families re-united and mana restored."

As organisations that work directly with their communities, both the council and the Mission saw first-hand the devastating impact of last year's COVID-19 crisis on vulnerable people in our region. Many of the council's people were redeployed to provide welfare services through the region's Emergency Coordination Centre, while staff and volunteers at the Mission experienced a marked increase in people seeking support.  

Ms Gain says that after our battle against COVID, more people are sensitive to what it feels like to hit a rough patch in life and need a bit of extra support.

"We've all been in a position where we've had to lean on friends, whānau or charitable organisations like the Mission. Being part of a community means making sure no one is left behind, so we're very proud to support the Mission's effort to make Wellington a better place for everyone to live.

"We were humbled to also spend an afternoon volunteering with the Mission, getting to know the wonderful staff there and seeing how donations are transformed into life-changing support" adds Ms Gain.

To learn more about the Wellington City Mission, find out how to get involved or place a donation, head to wellingtoncitymission.org.nz