Hawke's Bay schools have until Friday to apply for special grants to help disadvantaged youngsters on their rolls.
The Max e-Grants programme was kicked off six years ago by the OfficeMax company in conjunction with national childrens' charity Barnardos and since then has seen about $700,000 of grants distributed to more than 12,500 children.
More than a dozen schools across the Bay had benefited from the programme since it kicked off.
It was set up to provide financial support and education-related items to children and young people between the ages of four and 18, with schools, kindergartens and daycare centres able to nominate disadvantaged children for grants up to $5000.
"Some families may not be able to afford three good meals a day or to have heating in their homes so it stands to reason that books, uniforms or paying for extra school activities might not be top priority," OfficeMax New Zealand general manager of education Blair Horsfall said.