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People can drop off new pyjamas at The Warehouse in Warkworth until Sunday June 14 as part of the national PJ Project.
The initiative, which is part of the Kindness Collective, collects the pyjamas to redistribute them to children in need.
It aims not only to improve the children’s health, but also to contribute to school attendance and overall wellbeing.
This year’s event will include a nationwide awareness day on Friday June 12, aiming to increase public understanding of the issue and raise funds for the project, and child poverty more broadly.
The PJ Project is the only nationwide pyjama programme and is supported by more than 300 partner organisations.
Founder and chief executive Sarah Page says the project started in 2021, after many schools and women’s refuge centres requested pyjamas. It has grown consistently since then.
“Last year, we provided just over 28,000 pairs of warm winter pyjamas to children,” Page says. “We reach a wide range of kids – those living with their families but affected by material hardship, as well as those in hospitals or in women’s refuge accommodation.”
According to the organisation, more than 170,000 children are living in poverty in New Zealand, with over 200,000 more experiencing food insecurity. This means that around one in three children goes without basic necessities such as food and warmth.
People can drop off new pyjamas at their local Warehouse stores until Sunday June 14, or donate via the official website www.kindness.org.nz/pjproject.
