I've been in a telemarketing job before and needless to say I am nervous about the responses I may get. Oh, how wrong could I be? The overwhelming support from Tauranga's businesses is humbling.
One in three New Zealanders is affected by cancer and I don't think that statistic would come as much of a surprise to anyone. Whether it be a family member, a friend, a workmate or simply an acquaintance, in one way or another every New Zealander's life has been touched by cancer.
The huge impact on our community is reflected in the number of positive responses. People are keen to hear from the society, with "I've been expecting your call" and "of course, we buy them every year" being common responses.
Rachael Mounsey, communications manager for the Waikato/ Bay of Plenty division, tells me Tauranga is the biggest pre-sale area for fresh daffodils.
"We've got great support from businesses in Tauranga," she tells me, and I can't help but feel a pang of pride in our city.
During our four-hour shift we call our way through hundreds of businesses as office administrator Denise Carroll hurries in and out of the room collecting and processing orders.
Denise is full of energy and enthusiasm: a true daffodil.
Over a cup of tea at "half-time" she tells me about her eight years with the society. As one of only a few paid staff, Denise keeps the place running year-round.
Preparation for Daffodil Day started months ago and with the street stalls, fresh deliveries, counter boxes and events, as well as hundreds of volunteers to manage, the team is very busy.
It's easy when it's for a good cause, she says.
"I love working with volunteers because they are so selfless ... We can't run Daffodil Day without our volunteers."
Even three weeks ago in their busiest time of the year when they had to move offices, volunteers turned up with their cars to help pack and shift.
It was the experience of watching more than 10 people in her life, including her sister, battle cancer that propelled volunteer Lesley Grant into helping others.
"I used to take her to the hospital and seeing how many people were there it got me thinking.
"I have lost so many friends but I saw how much support they got from the Cancer Society and thought 'keep it up'."
Since then she has volunteered three days a week to the Cancer Society in Auckland before moving to Tauranga and coming in to the Tauranga office whenever she is needed.
I sit down next to pre-sale pro volunteer Patricia Bourne from the Lions club who has been volunteering her time for about 20 years.
In the early days Patricia took to the streets visiting businesses to collect orders, returning a few weeks later to hand deliver the flowers.
"We walked along the streets in Tauranga and Greerton. We each had our own area to cover and we used to bunch the daffodils in one of our member's basement.
"It was really quite intimate and personal in those days," she says. "It's grown hugely".
These days, it requires two shifts per day of six people per shift every day for two weeks to phone the thousands of businesses in the region.
"I feel quite passionate about what we're doing here," she says, telling me her sister also battled cancer.
Part-time office administrator Jo McIntosh lost her mother to cancer when she was a teenager.
Once her youngest child was old enough for kindergarten, Jo volunteered at the Cancer Society and was hired two years later.
"I always thought if I volunteered with any organisation it would be the Cancer Society," she says.
The stories in the Cancer Society are raw and devastating but the work they do is the polar opposite.
These people are here making people's lives a little better, brighter and easier every day.
Whether it comes in the form of support groups, cooked meals, transport and accommodation for treatments or just a point of contact for support, the Cancer Society and their hundreds of volunteers are there.
So next time you get a call from the Cancer Society, or see a person holding a bucket on the street, consider what the person's story might be and spare a coin, a minute and a smile.
