Source: Radio New Zealand
Dame Valerie Adams hoped more children could be wrapped in warmth when they needed it most. Middlemore Foundation
Middlemore Foundation’s Jammies for June campaign is expanding beyond Auckland for the first time in 14 years.
Jammies for June, organised by the charity of Middlemore Hospital in the South Auckland suburb of Ōtāhuhu, has delivered 130,000 pyjamas to children since 2011.
Middlemore Foundation chief executive Margi Mellsop told RNZ that it is coming to Wellington as part of this year’s winter appeal.
It will be working with Wellington Hospitals Foundation, to help more children to go to bed warm in both Auckland and Wellington.
Mellsop hoped to expand the campaign even further, “Wellington is the first one off the rank”.
“So, watch this space, as it will slowly expand, I think, around the rest of the country.”
Dame Valerie Adams, who is the national ambassador, hoped more children could be wrapped in warmth when they needed it most.
“Keeping kids warm and healthy is something every family in New Zealand cares about,” she said.
“This winter is going to be tough for our little ones, and I want every child to have a warm pair of pyjamas to snuggle into.”
While paediatrician Dame Teuila Percival said warm pyjamas helped, she said needed more to be done.
“Winter comes every year, and every year we see the same children living in cold, damp homes, suffering from preventable illness.”
Wellington Hospitals Foundation chief executive Guy Ryan said it was an issue faced by families throughout the country.
“There are many sick kids who have never even owned a pair of pyjamas,” he said.
This year’s campaign has coincided with Kidz First Children’s Hospital celebrating 25 years since opening its doors in 2001.
Jammies for June is hoping to donate 25,000 pairs of pyjamas to 25,000 children across Auckland and Wellington.
Money raised in Auckland will also support the Kidz First Refresh – to upgrade the hospital’s spaces, equipment, and services.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
