Wrapping up a tough year for single parent families

Single parent support organisation Birthright received an overwhelming number of gifts for this year’s Christmas collection.

The presents, collected from Heartland Bank on Christmas Eve, covered a third of the reception floor.

“It’s a lot more than last year,” Ashburton social worker Christine Muff said.

“Might be three van loads.”

Birthright Ashburton runs the Christmas collection every year, and ask for new toys only, so children with little get to have something of their own.

“For some, it makes Christmas. Some don’t get anything much.”

The gifts are given out to one parent families to use for both Christmases and birthdays.

Muff said while the Christmas haul exceeded expectations, there’d been a downturn in donations to the organisation this year.

Birthright helps families with more than just gifts, she said.

“People have struggled with power bills this winter, and just the general cost of living.

“I hope that we can continue supporting them to get through it all.”

The next big worry for families in need will be school supplies, she said, and food parcels are a constant need.

She hopes to raise awareness of the work Birthright does in the community, and has done for about 60 years.

Despite monetary concerns, the show goes on and it’s “business as usual,” for the Ashburton Birthright team.

By Anisha Satya