KidsCan news and updates.

Schools Friday, 2 Aug 2024

What winter looks like for kids in hardship

“It’s FREEZING here, and this morning I found a student sitting behind a classroom block wearing a thin short-sleeved polo shirt and a pair of shorts, with just a pair of jandals on his feet. He said his mum couldn’t afford shoes or a jersey. He’s missing the very basics, and I’m worried about his mental health.

Schools Friday, 2 Aug 2024

Behind the record waiting list for KidsCan support – CEO Julie Chapman

“We have one little girl who is so eager to come to school, her parents say that she sleeps in her uniform so that she’s ready the next day. She comes without breakfast. You can see she’s hungry - she’s extremely eager to eat the lunch we serve her – and your heart goes out to her..."

Schools Saturday, 20 Jul 2024

'Eye-opening' levels of poverty

I live close to the school where I’m principal, but I might as well live in a different country - it’s that different from my life. It’s a real eye opener to actually see that there are children who don’t have food, who are coming to school hungry, or not coming to school at all. I realised how sheltered my life had been, and how little I knew about the lives that some of our children are living.

Schools Wednesday, 26 Jun 2024

A kid who received KidsCan help gives back

“It is my 17th birthday tomorrow and every year I donate to charities such as KidsCan. Growing up in school, I'd receive KidsCan shoes as well as a jacket for free from the school office. I hope this funds not only a kid's shoes and a jacket but hopefully a smile on his/her face as much it did me whilst young in primary.” This was the beautiful email we received from a student in South Auckland, who saved money from his summer job to donate $500 to KidsCan. We called him to hear what KidsCan’s jackets and shoes meant for him.

Schools Tuesday, 14 May 2024

KidsCan welcomes new food programme for under fives amidst Ka Ora, Ka Ako changes

KidsCan is welcoming the government’s announcement of a new early childhood food programme to support 10,000 preschoolers living in poverty.

Schools Thursday, 9 May 2024

A mum making a difference

When Jules McMillan was a child, even though some Kiwi families were financially stretched, they managed. “I’m lucky that I grew up in the ’80s, because you could have a single-income family.

Fundraising Friday, 3 May 2024

Damion Ranginui – crosses the finish line, $28k raised!

He ran before dawn in torrential rain, jogged through his lunch hours, and pounded the pavements as the sun went down. 28-year-old Damion Ranginui clocked up more than 500 km in April 2024.

Fundraising Tuesday, 30 Apr 2024

Handball with heart

There were tears of joy, there were party horns, there was disbelief. After 24 killer hours of non-stop handball, our exhausted fundraising legends How to DAD aka Jordan Watson and Jono and Ben from The Hits learned they’d well and truly smashed their $350,000 target.

Fundraising Tuesday, 23 Apr 2024

Damion Ranginui – 22 half marathons in 22 days

He’s now a manager at accounting firm KPMG, but he has never forgotten the feelings of hunger - and shame - he felt as a child living in poverty.