Generous franchisees spread some festive cheer for hard-pressed families
Salvation Army volunteers Nelly Losefo and Sammi Rei Losefo receive the presents from Nileshna Narayan.
Kind-hearted franchisees helped to ensure that more than 100 Auckland children got a Christmas gift.
The business owners, from CrestClean’s Auckland South region, responded to a call from their regional manager Viky Narayan to donate presents for families facing tough times.
“This came from an idea I had about doing something for our local community,” says Viky.
“All I asked was that if they felt willing to help out they could choose a present up to about $10 max and wrap it up and label whether it was for a girl or a boy.”
Viky, who donated an extra gift from himself and wife Nileshna for each one received from his franchisees, didn’t have to wait long before the presents flooded in.
“It was quite overwhelming. Some of our people came with up to 10 different gifts, all neatly wrapped up. It was a really lovely gesture.”
A mountain of more than 100 presents was handed to volunteers from The Salvation Army, South Auckland Community Ministries.
Raewyn Heke, Office Manager, says the gifts made a huge difference to local families who faced ongoing financial hardship.
“We have many families we work with throughout the year. The main thing why we are supporting so many families is a lot them just can’t afford to pay their rent.”
The festive period was especially difficult for cash-strapped couples with children who struggled to make ends meet, she says.
“They are struggling anyway to manage their bills and pay for food so Christmas toys is out of the question for a lot of the families we support.”
She paid a heartfelt “thank you” to Viky and his team for their generosity, which made a big difference.
“It’s always good to give and it’s nice for a child to open up something on Christmas morning. If it wasn’t for this type of help many families would go without.”
Viky Narayan was overwhelmed at the number of gifts donated by his franchisees.
