Sallies in Facebook slur

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The Greymouth Salvation Army is upset at false claims posted on Facebook, urging people not to donate Christmas presents intended for needy families because staff unwrap and sell them.

Captain Avis Owen said it was "absolute nonsense''.

"We are all gutted that such a thing could be said. We do not sell the donated gifts for children in our family store.''

Mrs Owen said the gifts were unwrapped when received, but that was a requirement under the Health and Safety Act.

"We need to open the presents to make sure they are safe and appropriate, and are new ones,'' Mrs Owen said.

"No disrespect to anyone, but the Christmas surprises we put in the hampers at this time of the year need to be new.''

Donated gifts intended for children were then left unwrapped so the parents could wrap them up: "It empowers them (the parents), and we also supply the wrapping paper.''

Mrs Owen said the Sallies were struggling to get enough gifts for West Coast children in need without the added pressure of a nasty Facebook campaign.

Meanwhile, budget constraints mean the church will be able to afford only half the number of Christmas hampers that it usually delivered.

"We can only afford 50 hampers, which is less than half of what we have done in the past,'' she said.

They were thankful for the help from the Cobden Rugby Club, which was wound up and donated enough cash for the purchase of non-perishable goods, leaving the Sallies to buy the perishables.

"The toys for Christmas, however, are a challenge. We do understand the community is also finding it tough, but we would appreciate more toys.''

They needed toys for more than 100 children and currently did not have "anywhere near enough''.

She also noted that the demands on the Greymouth foodbank had doubled since October.

- Greymouth Star