Thermals for Children helping school kids keep warm this winter

Each year schoolchildren help Lee Pepping and Suzanne Rose get the Thermals for Children sets ready to deliver all over Hastings. Photo / Supplied

With this winter looking to be one of the coldest on record, Lee Pepping and Suzanne Rose have been working hard and have raised more than $26,000 for their latest Thermals for Children programme.

Since 2017 the two women, supported by the Catholic Parish of Hastings, have been delivering thermal tops and warm pants to primary school children throughout Flaxmere, Hastings and Havelock North.

Thermals for Children began as a small project with five or six schools. This year 30 schools have put their hands up to be included.

The schools have to say before winter how many thermals and sizes will be needed and the pair place their order with Postie Plus.

Each set comprises one pair of fleece track pants and either a merino or thermal long-sleeved top. “We are very fortunate to have a very positive relationship with our supplier, Postie Plus,” Pepping said.

With 30 schools now involved, raising money for this year’s programme was going to be a big job.

Individuals, foundations and clubs have all joined in. Some of those who donated were the Diocese of Palmerston North’s Catholic Charities, Hawke’s Bay Foundation, Clubs Hastings, Havelock North Primary School Home & School Committee, the Joan Fernie Charitable Trust and parishioner Peter Fama, who with his late wife Mary has had a long connection with Thermals for Children.

The organisers said they really appreciated all those who donated.

Not only was this a record number of donations but, after receiving the orders from 27 schools, it became clear they still had funds available to spend.

Pepping said this was at about the same time that Cyclone Gabrielle devastated Hawke’s Bay.

“We approached three schools in the Taradale and Napier area whose families were, we predicted, significantly impacted by the cyclone and we offered these schools the chance to participate in our project this year.

“Our offers were gratefully received.”

When the organisers initially contacted the Napier schools, they had one school offer to donate its allocation of thermals to schools whose families had been worse hit.

It was a wonderful gesture from this particular school, Pepping said, and she was pleased to be able to accept its order as well as provide extra clothing to other schools.

As a one-off, Thermals for Children was also able to respond positively to a request from two pre-schools.

“We are expecting the thermals to arrive very soon so that they can be distributed quickly.”

Once the thermals are delivered, Pepping asks the schools to provide feedback so the project remains relevant.

“We love receiving feedback and often we have received beautiful letters from children or families,” she said.