There are not many organisations that most of us have leaned on at some point without really thinking about it. Whānau Āwhina Plunket is one of them.
Maybe it was a coffee group in Swanson or Te Atatū, sitting with other new parents who were just as tired as you were. Maybe it was a playgroup morning like Hobsonville Pipis or the Kelston New Lynn group, where tamariki got to explore, play and pick up new skills. Maybe it was a routine Well Child check at your local clinic, or a call to PlunketLine when something did not feel right and you needed someone to talk it through with.
However it happens, Plunket’s kaimahi and volunteers have been right there for new parents and tamariki in The West for over a century.
That kind of wraparound care in the early years takes funding, and this September there is a genuinely easy way to help keep it going. Dunk it for Plunket is exactly what it sounds like. You sign up online, then host a morning or afternoon tea and dunk a few bikkies with friends, whānau or colleagues to raise funds. You can do it on National Dunk Day, Tuesday 22 September, or any other day in September that fits around your week.
There is a reward for taking part too. Once you fundraise or donate $30, a free Arnott’s Dunk Kit is yours, packed with bikkies, Bell tea, Moccona coffee and Huggies wipes. Share it around at your event, raffle it off as a prize, or quietly keep it for yourself, we won’t judge! There are more fundraising rewards at different points along the way as well.
Why does this matter here in The West? Because the first few years of a child’s life shape a lot of what comes after, and because the parents doing that mahi deserve support close to home. Every clinic visit, playgroup session and phone call is one more family feeling a bit more confident and a bit less alone. Whānau Āwhina Plunket makes that happen across our suburbs, day in and day out.
So put the jug on, grab a packet of bickies, and get a few people together. It is one of the easier, and tastier, ways to help local families thrive, this year and for generations to come.
Learn more about Dunk it for Plunket and sign up at dunkitforplunket.nz. You can also follow Whānau Āwhina Plunket on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
If you or your organisation could use support from The Trusts, find out how to apply at thetrusts.co.nz/our-funds.
