KEY POINTS:
Businesses are using their initiative to give Santa a helping hand this Christmas, giving money, toys and food to families in need.
Auckland City Mission chief executive Diane Robertson said businesses had been the backbone of the Christmas appeal this year, with many giving according to their line
of work.
Les Mills gym had raised money with a three-day boot-camp for advertising staff, while pesto and cooking-stock maker Essential Cuisine donated the gravy for the mission's Christmas dinner.
Vance Simpson, chief executive of NZ Labour Hire, gave the appeal a kick-start by donating the first 100 chickens and hams for low-income families, as well as the first 250 toys for children in need. The mission needs 250,000 toys and 700 chickens and hams for families in the Auckland region.
Simpson said he would also donate labour to do the city mission's maintenance work during the year. "I'm not one of these huge conglomerates [who can donate a lot]," he said. "I just think they do a wonderful job."
Robertson said about 60 businesses had signed up to collect toys and food for the Christmas appeal, and dozens more had turned up with money or gifts.
She said the mission was very open to sitting down with businesses to talk about what they could do.
"A lot of companies have been incredibly innovative about how they can give and what fits best with their organisation's culture. A lot of the CEOs and managers are really leading the charge."
Robertson said Auckland company Urgent Couriers was an example of how businesses could work with the mission to provide help. The company took its yearly donation a step further this year by offering free pick-up and delivery of items donated by its business customers.
Managing director Steve Bonnici contacted the mission to find out what kind of gifts were needed, then emailed his clients suggesting they collect Christmas treats and gifts for free pick-up. His couriers have delivered about 40 boxes of goodies to the mission over the past two weeks.
Bonnici said the scheme had a "significant feel-good" effect on staff.
"As a business of our size, we don't have wads of cash to give away. What we have is our ability to deliver things and our relationships with our clients," he said. "It's a matter of seeing what your strengths are as a business and how can you leverage them to provide support."
Christmas is the busiest time of year for the mission. The Christmas appeal helps to fund Christmas dinner for 1500 people at the Auckland Town Hall, Christmas hampers for low-income families and presents for children who might otherwise go without.