"I remember getting a hand cream and a really nice soap and thinking, ‘Oh, I feel pretty today!’ It makes such a difference because you don’t really think about those things for yourself at that time. I also received stationery and clothes for my children. That was helpful because I couldn’t financially provide a lot. It made me feel good as a mum."
Aviva is incredibly grateful to everyone who is willing to donate goods to support our clients / whai ora. Many of our whai ora need to leave their homes quickly with nothing but the clothes they’re wearing and a small backpack of important items. Many of our clients also face financial hardship or experienced financial abuse and may struggle to provide for themselves or their children after leaving their relationship.
Unfortunately, Aviva is unable to accept certain items directly due to limited storage capacity and staff availability to sort, test, and distribute items. We therefore work collaboratively with several other organizations to provide these much needed items for our clients. Please see below on how best to support us.
If you have any questions around whether or not we can accept your donation, please contact us at 0800 AVIVA NOW (0800 28482 669) or [email protected].
What can Aviva accept?We usually accept the following and they can be dropped off without pre-approval from our team.
Please deliver items to The Loft (Level 1, Eastgate Shopping Centre) during office hours Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (excluding public holidays and Christmas break). However, if your donation will not fit in a single trolley, it is best to contact us ahead of time at [email protected] to ensure we have space for it.
Brand new items:
Second hand:
Vouchers:
Please note that food and general toiletries will typically go into The Loft storage cupboards which are open for any of The Loft partners, including Aviva, to use.
Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.
We do not accept the following items due to safety and/or storage issues:
We are occasionally able to make exceptions, so long as there are no storage issues. For example, we have previously accepted a collection of second-hand designer clothing, new but unsellable toys direct from a retailer, and new electronics or furniture to be collected by the client at the store. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.
Otherwise, please look under "Where can I donate my items instead?" Although we cannot accept items like furniture, electronics, and clothing directly, we work collaboratively with a number of social service organisations to provide these essential items to our clients for free.
If the items you wish to donate are on the pre-approved list under "What can Aviva accept?" or if you have already received confirmation from Aviva that we can accept them, items can be dropped off at The Loft (Level 1, Eastgate Shopping Centre) during office hours Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (excluding public holidays and Christmas break).
If your donation is large enough that it does not fit in a single shopping trolley, we may need to arrange a specific time for drop-off to ensure Aviva staff are available to store and process it.
If you're items are not listed under the section "What can Aviva accept?", please contact Aviva prior to dropping off at [email protected].
Due to limited storage, Aviva works collaboratively with other social service organizations to provide many essentials to clients / whai ora.
We work with the following organizations to provide free second-hand items for our whai ora. By donating your goods to the following organisations, you are still supporting Aviva clients.
Salvation Army – clothing, household goods, furniture
City Mission – clothing, household goods, furniture
Christchurch Aunties – household goods, furniture, toiletries for women and children (no clothing)
The Brotherhood – clothing, household goods, furniture for men and children
PIPS – baby items including cots, bassinets, car seats, etc.
It Takes a Village – baby and toddler clothes and items
Clothed in Love – preloved or new children’s clothing, premature to 16
Dress for Success – professional women’s clothing
Curtain Bank through Community Energy Action – curtains
Blanket Bank through Christchurch Methodist Mission – blankets and bedding
Many organisations want to put together care packages for whai ora. We love to receive these, but depending on numbers and time of year, we may face storage issues. We ask that you inform us of your intentions at [email protected] to ensure we have space available.
What to put in care packages:
What to skip or include separately:
We run a Christmas gift campaign from November to December to facilitate Christmas for clients / whai ora who may struggle to provide it.
We ask that gifts are delivered to The Loft (Level 1, Eastgate Shopping Centre) at least two weeks prior to Christmas to allow our support workers time to distribute them. Gifts can be delivered during office hours Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. Gifts should be new and unwrapped so we can ensure safety and quality, and choose gifts based on the clients’ likes and interests.
See gift idea below.
For children:
For teens/tweens:
For adults (including men)
While some of our whai ora have babies and toddlers and we love to receive gifts for them, we only work with children 5 and up and have greater need for this age range.
If you have any questions about your intended donation, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or 0800 AVIVA NOW (0800 28482 669).