The last three months or so have been increasingly difficult for many of us, so I wanted to do something a little different for this month’s column.

This month I’d like to shine a light on a couple of Auckland charities that could do with a helping hand after a very rough couple of months. Please consider helping out these awesome charities this Christmas if you can.

Foster Hope CHristmas Gift Drive. Foster Hope Charitable Trust is collecting new, unwrapped gifts for children from newborn to 18 years of age. Christmas is a stressful time of the year where child protection agencies around the country see a big increase in crisis management cases. We want to ensure that if a child is suddenly placed into care over the Christmas period, the caregivers are not caught short with nothing under the tree for the child. The deadline for donations is the 10th December. We ask that the gifts are not wrapped so that the social workers are able to best match the gift to the child. Thank you so much for your support. Let’s start some prepping for a pretty amazing Christmas for some incredibly vulnerable kids around New Zealand. Drop off points throughout the North Shore: https://www.fosterhope.org.nz/auckland/

The Aunties provide intensive support to women and their children who are living with domestic violence, giving them the support and resources to allow them to heal properly. The Aunties believe that everyone has the right to live with self-determination, dignity,  and knowledge of their mana, in recognition of the value, joy and beauty of their true selves. They are a collective of people inspired to share our power, knowledge, passion, and resources with whānau who have lived in violence,  however that may manifest. The Aunties will walk alongside whānau to āwhi, guide, listen, and to provide a voice until whānau are confident enough to walk in their own power.

You can help by donating to: 12-3019-0022633-00. You can do this as a one off or as a regular AP – these donations are tax deductible.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas spent with those that matter the most.