Halswell Community Hub Xmas Donations
Every year for the past 7 years we have collaborated with several agencies around Halswell and Christchurch. From Odyssey House, the Hoon Hay Food Bank, Open Home Foundation, City Mission Outreach and Project Esther, to local families in need. The aim is to bring a little relief and hopefully a little joy at Christmas. It can be a stressful and expensive time of year for many. While we realise October seems a little early to start thinking about Christmas, we need time to receive donations, sort them and pass them on to the recipients before each organisation pauses over the Christmas period. We do ask that all items are new only please.
Drop off to: the Halswell Community Hub, 381 Halswell Road from October through to mid December.
This year we are partnering with:
Ngā Maihi - Steppingstones Trust/Odyssey House/Purapua Whetu
Open Home Foundation
Local families
Donations required:
Toiletry packs – shampoo, conditioners, sanitary items (period underwear/pads/tampons/cups etc), deodorant, toothbrushes & paste, cotton buds, body wash/soap, lip balm, hairbrush, razors, hair ties, shaving cream, sunscreen and cosmetic bag/toiletries bag. Outdoor sports equipment/toys, weighted soft animals, squishmallow toys, unicorns, pokemon cards, books, transformers, fidget toys, art supplies like a sketch pad/ watercolour pencils Voucher activity(Swimming Pools etc).
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
Do you think you know the answer?
Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: Canterbury is thriving on paper... but are you seeing evidence of Canterbury's improving economy?
As reported in the Press, Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman recently gave a shout-out to our region, calling Canterbury a "stand-out" for how we recover from tough times. With tech firms growing and exporters investing, the business side of things is looking bright!
👉 But we know that "business growth" doesn't always mean the weekly shop gets any cheaper. While the city expands, many families feel like they’re just trying to keep their heads above water.
We want to know: With the business buzz of 2026, do you feel like things are finally looking up for your household, or does it still feel like a climb?
-
17.4% Yes
-
58.7% No
-
23.9% In some areas ...
Loading…