Homebuilders – Three cheers for community support

Homebuilders Family Services is an NGO, which stands for non-government organisation. As an NGO, Homebuilders receives approximately 65 per cent of its funding from the government through the Ministry of Social Development. Homebuilders also applies for funds from organisations such as Foundation North, Community Organisation Grants Scheme, Lottery Community, and the Catholic Caring Foundation.

Like most other NGOs, the funding we receive does not completely cover the cost of the services we provide. So we feel incredibly lucky when groups and individuals put their hands up (or into their own pockets) to support us.

Most recently, a group of friends cycled the length of New Zealand to support NGOs in Rodney. Bevan Woodward specifically donated what he raised to Homebuilders.

Homebuilders has been providing free support services throughout North Rodney for nearly 30 years, largely due to the generosity of the community.

Our Opportunity Shop has also seen years of generous donations from the community and has been staffed by many wonderful volunteers. It is with some regret that our Opportunity Shop will be closing its doors, due to Homebuilders needing more space for its support services.

It has been invaluable to be able to provide some of the cheapest secondhand clothing and goods in Warkworth. It has also been a bit of a social hub. We will miss that.

Homebuilders would wholeheartedly like to thank the donors, the purchasers, and the volunteers for their great contributions over the years.

At Homebuilders we are very mindful about being prudent and conscientious about our expenditure. We function on the smell of an oily rag, which in many ways is not a bad thing because we are mindful that we are often seeing families who are struggling financially daily to provide their own most basic needs.

We also feel privileged to work alongside all the wonderful people who come in for support. It is a courageous thing to ask for some help. We welcome donations and hope to still be offering meaningful support services well into the future. If you would like to give a one-off tax-deductible donation or set up an ongoing donation, our bank details are 123095 0167279 00. If you have a fundraising idea, please contact Homebuilders Family Services to discuss it. Thank you very, very, very, very much.

Homebuilders new email: homebuildersfs@gmail.com

Liz Cole, Homebuilders family support worker
www.homebuildersfs.org