Cancer Society humbled with present wrapping fundraiser generosity

Judith Langridge, left, and Heather Fagg at a gift wrapping booth in Coastlands last year.

The Cancer Society has thanked the community for its support during a Christmas present gift wrapping fundraiser at Coastlands.

For two years in a row Coastlands has kindly let the society operate the present wrapping fundraiser.

Customers who buy a present at Coastlands in the lead up to Christmas can take it to a booth where it's wrapped in exchange for a donation.

In the first year $7000 was raised for the society's Kāpiti branch and in the second year $9000 was raised for the same branch.

"Coastlands choose a charity and in the last few years we've been very lucky to benefit from that initiative," Cancer Society community fundraising events lead Mandy Evans said.

"We have an amazing volunteer, Heather Fagg, who organises a team of volunteers and creates a roster.

"People usually do three to four hours at a time and they wrap beautiful gifts that have been purchased in the mall, or the wider Coastlands shopping precinct.

"And then people just donate some money.

"We have Paywave machines or they can just donate cash, there's no set cost, people give what they feel comfortable with.

"It raises an amazing amount of money only because of the volunteers and the community supporting Coastlands as much as possible.

"We just want to say a big thank you to the community, the volunteers and to Coastlands for giving us this opportunity."

Mandy said Coastlands let the society have a memory tree in the complex which was run by volunteer Nola Edser.

"It's run at about the same time.

"People write on hearts, in memory of people they've lost, and put it on the tree."

Mandy said the money was directed to the Kāpiti branch which is located at 27 Kāpiti Rd, Paraparaumu.

"It goes back into providing the services that the Cancer Society provides.

"Whether that be nurses, counsellors, volunteer drivers ..."

She said the branch was "being more and more utilised by the community".

The branch offered nurses, counsellors, health promotion support and more.

"It's a place that people can pop into and just have a chat.

"It's a real support centre as well with people with cancer as well as people that have got family going through it too.

"It's not always about the patient because family go through a hard time too."

www.cancer.org.nz/about-us/find-a-cancer-society-office-near-you/paraparaumu/