Adopt a Family this Christmas with Taupō Sallies

Adopt a Family this Chistmas. Salvation Army major Denise Crump with a Chistmas package for a Taupō family who would other wise go without. Photo / Rachel Canning

A big success last Christmas, Adopt A Family is back in Taupō for Christmas 2020.

Salvation Army core officer and director of community ministries Major Denise Crump initially started the project in Manukau City with seven families and in five years it grew to hundreds of families all over Auckland.

In what they thought was a move towards retirement, Denise and husband Major Steven Crump jointly took on the Taupō role in 2017. Last year the Sallies organised Christmas celebration boxes for 26 families which included 70 children.

"It's always fun to go and buy something for someone else," says Denise.

Without disclosing the recipients' details, the donors know enough about the family they are 'adopting' to make informed decisions on what to buy. Denise has guidelines and says donors include a few celebration food items and a few basic food items or a supermarket voucher.

"And a little present for Mum and Dad and gift for the kids. People are really generous. It's not unusual for people to put quite significant vouchers in.

"We tell the parents they can re-wrap the kid's gift. We like it when donors give vouchers so parents can choose something really significant for their child."

Families are referred by other agencies, and it is not expected they will be on the Sallies list indefinitely. Denise says Adopt a Family is for families who are trying to improve their circumstances.

"This Christmas they may have had some difficulties. The recipients don't know they are receiving the gifts. We ring them and they come in and collect their box."

Denise says Adopt a Family works quite well for workplaces where year-on-year people are irritated by gifts they receive from their colleagues.

"Sometimes we don't appreciate gifts from our workmates."

This year Taupō Salvation Army need another 15 donors, with 28 families set to receive specially-decorated boxes containing Christmas-related gifts.

This will be the Crumps' last Christmas as Majors. After 35 years with the Sallies, Denise and Steven are retiring to Tauranga to be closer to family. Denise says young and energetic people are needed in Taupō, with incumbents Lieutenants Char and Johnny Wybrow arriving fresh from Salvation Army school for officer training.

She says the highlight of her career has been to walk alongside people, share life with them and share her faith with them.

"What is the most important thing in the world? The people: he tangata, he tangata, he tangata."

* Get in touch with Denise to donate Christmas gifts for the Adopt a Family project, denise.crump@salvationarmy.org.nz or phone 027 227 5816.