Schools throughout Aotearoa are gradually moving back to some sense of normality. Assignment are due, assessments need to be completed, and extra-curricular activities like sport have been able to resume under Level One. But for the young women of Samuel Marsden Collegiate in Karori, this meant the opportunity to resume The Winter Project - a student-led initiative which collects clothing and blankets for struggling families that is now in its fifth year. 

Having begun in 2015, the project faced some unique challenges this year as students organised from the safety of their bubbles. Between online classes during level 3 and 4, Samuel Marsden’s young women were organising collections and even large donations from corporates such as Icebreaker. The result was a total of 1,793 items donated. Grace Kerr, one of the students involved said, “We are so appreciative for all the individuals who went out of their way to donate despite the hard circumstances of Covid-19.

Once clothing was collected, the crew came together for a day to sort and distribute the items to a number of schools throughout the Wellington region. Alongside organising collection, students also facilitated an enormous volunteer contribution to get the clothing sorted and off to its final destination. “The volunteers that helped us box made such a difference and made sure were able to deliver on time” said Araraina Takuira-Mita.

The heart of this venture comes from a school culture with a high value on compassion and service. This laid the groundwork for students who came back from lockdown not thinking of their own needs, but of the needs of those less fortunate than them. “We just want to help people stay warm as we know how cold Wellington’s Winter can get” said Rebecca Stewart. The students were touched by many messages of thanks from young people at the schools they distributed to and they plan to continue this initiative in 2021. 

By Scottie Reeve