Support Hospice at Farmers this Christmas

Farmers and Hospice Whanganui staff gather at the Christmas Tree of Remembrance in the foyer of the Farmers store in Whanganui. Photo / Paul Brooks

Hospice Whanganui and Farmers staff gathered last Thursday to bless the annual Christmas Tree of Remembrance at the Farmers store in Whanganui.

The tree is supplied by Farmers and stands tall in the foyer of the store.

This is the ninth year that Farmers has supported hospices nationally in the lead up to Christmas, helping keep hospice services free of charge.

"People can write messages to their loved ones," says Kelly Scarrow of Hospice Whanganui.

"They pay a donation and get a card that they can put on the tree."

At the end of the year the messages are included in a ceremony and service at Hospice.

The tree is always popular, but many people just make a donation and don't leave a message.

Or for $10 people could buy a limited-edition hand-painted hospice Christmas bauble to take home for their own tree. Baubles are available in store and online. This year's bauble features the star cluster of Matariki.

Tina Parata, Kaiwhakahaere at Hospice New Zealand, says the stars on this bauble are poignant.

"This is Aotearoa's first year celebrating Matariki, a time when we remember and celebrate those who are no longer with us. So for me, the stars on this bauble represent our loved ones who have died, lighting up our skies with love and warmth. The mini stars inside represent all our tupuna, who are watching over us, supporting us and guiding us into the future."

Thanks to the generous support of Farmers, the full $10 from every purchase stays in the community and is donated to the local hospice service. Farmers also passes on 100 per cent of all customer donations to hospice from the Tree of Remembrance.

Farmers Whanganui assistant manager, sales, Lisa Amos, welcomed Hospice to the store, after which Davene Vroon, Hospice Whanganui chief executive, spoke on behalf of the organisation, acknowledging the hard work Farmers' staff do to grow contributions to Hospice every year.

"Hospice Whanganui will support a significant number of people in our community as they walk through their final life journey ... and this support from you guys truly enables us to wrap around and support them during that time. So, really, all I can say, again and again, is thank you. Every time someone gives a donation at the counter it makes a difference to the life of someone in this community, it's as simple as that."

Hospice chaplain Nelda Hazelhurst blessed the tree with a message of love.
Last year, $11,929 was raised through our local Farmers store, with every dollar of that remaining in our community to support patients referred to Hospice Whanganui.

In 2021 hospices nationwide cared for more than 17,500 patients and their whanau at a cost of about $175.6 million. The Government covered $88m of that cost. That means hospices needed to raise around $87.2m from the community to bridge the gap.

"Everybody deserves a good death. By supporting hospice at Farmers, you can help ensure people across New Zealand receive the high quality care and support they need, so they can focus on what really matters, living well until the end," says Hospice New Zealand patron Jo Seagar.