Every tamaiti deserves to wake up to presents on Christmas Day - that’s the drive behind The Kindness Collective’s social toy store in Tāmaki Makaurau, allowing whānau in need to handpick free gifts for their tamariki.
From Legos and rugby balls to pamper kits and sweet treats, the Christmas Joy Store offers a variety of taonga, all available to whānau facing hardship.
“I think where [The Joy Store is] different [is because] we believe in the dignity of choice,” The Kindness Collective chief executive Sarah Page says
“I don’t know what your children like - you know what your children like. [And] I think for so long with charities in Aotearoa, we have this narrative that beggars can’t be choosers.”
More than 200 whānau were helped by friendly volunteers in ‘Santa’s Helper’ t-shirts on Friday as they began their Christmas shopping at the Penrose store.
He Pā Piringa team leader Chris Ruri works closely with vulnerable whānau in Tāmaki Makaurau and understands the challenges they face. He says the store’s opening day was amazing.
“What [The] Kindness Collective do well is they hold the dignity up high with our whānau that come here. There’s no judgement, you grab the trolley, there are no price tags, you just grab for your tamariki.”
The Kindness Collective partners with agencies and community groups to identify whānau in need who can benefit from these services. Page reports that over 4,500 families are signed up this year.
The Joy Store is the only physical social toy store in the country but The Kindness Collective also offers nationwide toy deliveries, allowing people to donate taonga at their local Mitre 10 for distribution to children in the community.
“We’re supported really well by brands and businesses like Lego and Mattel, The Warehouse, Tegel - everyone donates these beautiful toys [and] meals that people can have on Christmas Day, and [we also] ask the community [to] donate on our website,” Page says.
Despite the tremendous efforts of supporters, demand remains high, with nearly 5,000 tamariki still on this year’s waitlist.
Statistics show that 77,200 children in Aotearoa live in low-income households (AHC60) and experience material hardship - one in 15 children, and one in eight tamariki Māori.
“This year it is tough - we’ve got whanau coming to shop with us who are living [with] 10 [or] 12 people in a two-bedroom motel. We’ve got people living in carports and garages and really tough situations,” Page says.
“And this year, with the cost of living, it’s really worse than it was. So we’re just doing the very best that we can to see as many people as we can,” Page says.
Ruri also echoes these sentiments, highlighting the importance of initiatives like the Joy Store.
“Our whānau can’t even go to a shop and buy a Lego for their tamariki,” he says.
“You can get your whole gifts here for your whānau and by doing that it eases the [financial] burden from whānau.”
Page adds that the Joy Store is a massive operation, taking nearly 10 months to set up.
“We have more than 1200 volunteers who make the joy store work over December - we always need more volunteers.”
“By the time we finish, we’re looking at about $2.5 million - that’s how much it [costs]. Everything from crackers to toys for kids.”
However, Page says the charity is the least important part of this equation.
“When children wake up on Christmas morning, they have no idea a charity was involved,”
“[They know] Mum got me a Lego or Dad got me a cricket set - so that’s the most important thing for us and [the] whānau shopping.”
Page shared her hopes to expand these services across the motu.
“We’d love to expand. [I] believe this is the model that we should be supporting whānau with, we just need the support.”
The Christmas Joy Store will continue to spread holiday cheer instore until December 21.