Call goes out for Whanganui collectors for Blind Foundation's annual Red Puppy Appeal

The Red Puppy Appeal will help the Blind Foundation fund more guide dogs like Abbot. Photo / Bevan Conley

Volunteers are needed in Whanganui to help raise money for the next generation of guide dogs for the Blind Foundation.

The Red Puppy Appeal on March 22-23 is an annual street appeal to collect donations for the breeding and training of more guide dogs.

"There are more than 30,000 people in New Zealand affected by blindness or low vision," Blind Foundation chief executive Sandra Budd said.

"Training guide dogs is one of the ways we help people who are blind or have low vision to live their life without limits.

"Guide dogs are trained to enable a person with sight loss to do day-to-day tasks like navigating public transport with new-found confidence and safety.

"Our 2018 Red Puppy Appeal campaign raised an incredible $800,000 for puppies to begin their journey to becoming a trained guide dog – and street volunteers were a massive part of this effort."

If you can spare a few hours on March 22 or 23 to help fundraise for the next generation of guide dog puppies, you can register online at https://blindfoundation.org.nz/guide-dogs/ or call 0800 787 743 (0800 PUPPIES).