HINERANGI VAIMOS
A night at the cinema in exchange for a can of spaghetti sounds too good to be true, but the offer stands. The 12th annual Can Film Festival will be held next month but organisers are warning people to get there fast or miss out.
Reading Cinema in Napier
will hold the event where people are asked to donate a can of food in exchange for a ticket. The number of cans supplied are then doubled by Wattie's and are distributed to disadvantaged families in Christmas cheer food parcels by the Salvation Army.
Salvation Army Community Care Services manager Chris Morgan said the event had been very popular in past years and now there were four cinemas opening with a total of almost 700 seats available.
"Last year we gave out 70 parcels and those cans helped us out a lot. It's just a really good cause and it's an amazing event."
Swapping a tin can sheds a whole new light on a "cheap date".
"You can buy a tin of spaghetti on special for 99 cents and have a good night when normally you'd pay about $7," Mr Morgan said.
Reading Cinema Napier and Hastings complex manager Nicole Speakman said it was imperative people got there in good time to get a seat.
"We have had to turn people away, so you need to get here early, but we do thank the people who don't get in but leave their cans anyway."
Mr Morgan said few people realised the amount of need there was in Hawke's Bay and raising the level of awareness was important.
