Uniform Sale Raises funds for Foodbank

At this time of year there are plenty of articles in the news media about the price of getting children back to school. This expensive period has been made slightly easier this year thanks to the hard work of the team at St Michael’s, Newlands-Paparārangi.

Now in its third year, the uniform sale was set up with the dual purpose of kitting out local Intermediate and College students with quality uniform items at low cost. And because it’s run by volunteers, with items donated by former students and parents, 100% of proceeds go straight to the Newlands Community House Foodbank, making a huge difference for local people experiencing food poverty.

Over Christmas and New Year hundreds of uniform items from Newlands College and Intermediate were collected or dropped off at St Michael’s. Each item was then checked, washed, sorted and where necessary mended by the volunteer team from Newlands and neighbouring Johnsonville parish, led by Newlands parishioner Shirley McLennan. And the volunteer team prayed for every student who would wear a uniform item – to receive joy, connection and belonging and a knowledge of the love of God.

With the exception of College blazers, no items were over $15. One parent noted that he had been able to completely kit out his child for a third of the price that new uniform would have cost – something he was otherwise unable to afford.

Thanks to the generosity of local families donating their uniform items for sale, the previous year’s total was smashed out of the park, more than doubling to over $5,300.

And because environmental sustainability is important to the St Michael’s whanau, and nothing was wasted – even old fleeces no longer fit for wear were stripped down and taken by the SPCA for pet blankets.