Salvation Army to distribute care packages in Christchurch, increases number of counsellors

The Salvation Army will distribute the first of 10,000 care packages to Canterbury’s earthquake-affected citizens on Monday morning.

The Army is also preparing to bring more counsellers to the region, and expects the number to rise to 35 in the next few weeks. Up to 20 trauma counsellors from Australian Salvation Army territories, who have experience working in the aftermath of large scale bushfires, are expected to start arriving next week.

Salvation Army spokesman Major Robbie Ross says 12 Salvation Army counsellors are already at work at the emergency welfare centres and Salvation Army centres. Counselling staff will be rotated on a weekly basis.

“We are already seeing people coming to us who are very fearful and many who are distressed over what they’ve experienced and the radical changes to their lives that they are now facing,” he says.

Care packages will be initially distributed to Kaiapoi, whose residents have suffered greatly from the quake and its aftermath. The Salvation Army in Rangiora is currently caring for 150 Kaiapoi residents.

The parcels will include food, personal hygiene and cleaning products and confectionary. They will also contain a pamphlet on Salvation Army services available and contact details.

Major Ross says the objective of the packages is to show residents people do care about their plight and to let them know support is there if they require it.

“Most people have never before needed a food parcel, bedding or clothing, counselling or advocates to help them deal with officialdom. So the care packages are a way to say the Sallies are here to help out at no cost and with no strings attached.”

The parcels will be distributed by Salvation Army volunteers and staff from Westpac Bank and World Vision NZ. Westpac provided funds towards packaging and purchasing products for the packages.

Items in the packages have been sourced from outside Canterbury so that already stretch grocery supplies are not put under more pressure.

The Salvation Army has also secured warehousing and cool store space for meeting the long-term and increasing demand for food parcels.

Pictured: CEO George Frazis of Westpac Bank helps Salvation Army welfare workers. Mr Frazis survived Cyclone Tracy in Darwin, Australia, when he was nine years old, and was keen to give back to another traumatised community. Westpac has committed $1 million to the Westpac Canterbury Care Fund, naming The Salvation Army as its senior partner. The Salvation Army will use some of the money to help those needing food, shelter and care, and also for those needing longer-term support.

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