Each year the Mission supports thousands of Aucklanders in desperate need, these are some of their stories.
Penny – Family comes first
Penny often refers to the three years she spent living on the streets when she was just 14 as the hardest time of her life. That was the first time the Auckland City Mission met Penny nearly 20 years ago.
She says that without the Mission’s support, she wouldn’t be the well, happy grandmother she is today.
Potoz’s story – A whare to call her own
At 36 years old, Potoz’s life now is a far cry from her childhood which she describes as the worst imaginable. She says the Mission’s help in her adult years enables her to provide her children with the safe, loving family home that she never had.
Potoz has been in her whare with her partner and younger children for more than a year now and appreciates her new life every day.
Kelvin – one year clean and sober
While the Mission commemorates 100 years of service to the city this year, many of the people we support mark their own special anniversaries too.
In July, one of those people, Kelvin, marked his one year anniversary of being clean and sober after 28 years of drug dependency. The Mission’s part in Kelvin’s journey to recovery helped create truly positive change his life.
A thank you letter from T
The Mission team never works for thanks, but sometimes a special nod of gratitude comes along. We recently received an email from T, a long-term Mission client who thanked our team for their part in his journey to becoming a tertiary student.
He wrote “We are the invisible, the unseen and you all, for even sometimes just a moment, allow us to be part of the world again. You allow us to matter again.”
Iris’s story – A Christmas to remember
Grandmother Iris loves Christmas. It’s her favourite time of the year despite often being a time of hardship for Iris and her whānau.
Just before Christmas last year, life became very difficult for Iris. She had unexpected large bills to pay and, living off a basic income, she simply didn’t have enough money for food.
Melina – food parcels during the COVID-19 lockdown
Mum of two Melina has coped during many difficult times in her life. When COVID-19 hit, she turned to the Mission for urgent support because the burden of the pandemic meant she couldn’t feed her family.
The Mission responded with food and care to help her and her family through lockdown.