Hearing aboutthe plight of a homeless 13-year old boy has inspired Golden Sands School pupil Katelyn Coetzee to brighten Christmas for local youngsters.
Katelyn, with her mum Sindy and her mum's partner Roger Smith, were at a rally in Napier before the general election.
Arranged to allow political candidates to hear real-life stories from homeless people, one ofthose who told his tale was a boy who had been living in a tentfor two years and whose mum had made many unsuccessful attempts to find them a home.
On the way back to Papamoa, Katelyn came up with the idea of brightening up the lives of people like the boy who had spoken.
"I felt sorry for the homeless and felt bad because I knew they wouldn't get any presents," she says. "Kids really want presents and would be grateful for what they get."