Shoebox
Christmas

Shoebox Christmas is a community-led initiative dedicated to bringing joy to children during Christmas. The project started in Porirua and our community here is by far the most served region. The project delivers gifts to children in schools and social services with one aim: to let them know the community has their back. These gifts are thoughtfully packed by local community members in the spirit of connection – with gifters visiting the services or schools to deliver the gift, connecting with our community at a deeper level than some might otherwise have an avenue to do so with.

A pivotal element in the success of Shoebox Christmas in Porirua has been evolution of our Koha Tree platform and the coaching, mentoring, and then employment of young people to lead Shoebox Christmas in their own regions. In Porirua, we have a local rangatahi, Arita, serving as a bridge between Shoebox Christmas and local schools and social services. He manages relationships with these institutions, ensuring that the needs of the children are understood and met effectively, and that our precious and busy schools and social services have everything they need. He also works with the thousands of gifters within the Porirua region to support them in their act of community service and support to our tamariki.

The generous support from Trust House Foundation has enabled Arita to carry out this values-based and fulfilling work in 2023, and has helped set an example of how we can set young leaders up for success in learning and development roles which create positive outcomes in their community.

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Shoebox Christmas

"Thanks to the generous support of the Trust House Foundation grant, HOA has recently acquired 8 Artist Panels, providing our contributors with a dynamic platform to showcase their work."

Heart of Arts

"Without the support from Trust House Foundation we could not have run all these activities for our community and provide them at a cost-effective rate."

Porirua Basketball

"The generous support from Trust House Foundation has enabled Arita to carry out this values-based and fulfilling work in 2023, and has helped set an example of how we can set young leaders up for success in learning and development roles which create positive outcomes in their community."

Shoebox Christmas

"Massive thanks to Trust House for this funding that ensures the impacts of the WELLfed programme are maximised in 2023 "

WELLfed

"The Grant was to contribute towards our Food Services Manager.  Our wonderful Heath helps the community and corporate groups cook dinner for the families and provides meals throughout the day.  This provides the families with more time to spend with their family while their child is in hospital. "

Ronald McDonald Charitable Trust

"On behalf of Waimanaaki and the Live and Learn Trust, we thank you for your grant to help the camp in a range of ways. With these funds we have been able to purchase sixty new mattresses for campers to enjoy in the cabins. These new mattresses have a hospital-grade cover to help ease cleaning and maintain safe, hygienic practices to ensure all those who stay in the cabins are comfortable and well looked after for many camps to come. We have also been able to purchase a generator to power the campsite during outages and provide electricity for the local Riversdale residents if there is a prolonged outage. We have also completed the upgrade to all the gas regulators on-site to ensure we are up to code
and all safe.."

The Learn ‘N’ Live Trust

"Through the generosity of Trust House and their grant-funding programme we receive much needed funds which enable our Educator to see over 5000 tamariki across in the North Wellington region."

Life Education Trust North Wellington