14 December 2011

Christmas support for Christchurch from Earthquake Appeal Trust

The Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust today announced $200,000 in support payments for Christchurch families over the holiday season.

“The holiday season often puts increased demands on communities and families. These grants recognise and support some of the key organisations in Canterbury providing on-the-ground support to people facing hardship,” says Trustee Dr Rod Carr.

“It hasn’t been an easy year for Cantabrians and the Trust wants to give them a helping hand in the lead up to Christmas. The support includes grants for food packages for over 6000 households and an anticipated 650 people at the City Mission Christmas dinner.

“We hope these grants go some way towards making Christmas brighter and better for struggling Christchurch families.”

The support includes grants totalling $150,000 to the Christchurch City Mission, the Salvation Army, the Christchurch Methodist Mission, the 0800 Hungry Ministries Trust, the Farmy Army Christchurch and He Oranga Pounamu.

An additional $10,000 each will be provided to the Christchurch, Otautahi, Shakti and West Christchurch Women’s Refuges and the Battered Women’s Trust to help address increased demand over the festive season.

Dr Carr said it has been a busy year for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust which was established following the launch of the Appeal by Prime Minister John Key.

“The Trust has provided funding for diverse projects including City Mall, the Westpac Business and Community Hub and the Court Theatre, a number of sports initiatives and a series of projects in schools,” he says.

“All this work has been made possible by the generosity of our donors both large and small. We are looking forward to continuing to support Christchurch’s revitalisation on behalf of donors in the new year.”