Some 50 volunteers took to local streets brandishing bright pink buckets this month, raising several thousand dollars for the annual Pink Ribbon Street Appeal in aid of the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation.
Area coordinator Shona Pickup said it was a great result, considering the weather wasn’t the best and people often didn’t have a lot of cash on them.
“We made just over $5000, which is about the same as last year, and $1200 of that was at Matakana market when it was absolutely freezing, so it was really brilliant,” she said. “They all did really well.”
Volunteers were shaking their buckets throughout the district, from Mitre 10 and Morrison Drive in Warkworth, right through the town centre, and out to Matakana and Omaha.
Shona said she wanted to thank every volunteer for their efforts, with a special mention to Vivian Gallery owner Scott Lawrie, who not only collected at the Matakana farmers market, but has offered to be a host for the upcoming Hospice Homes Tour on Sunday, November 4.
Meanwhile, Warkworth Library organised its own fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Foundation with a Pink Day on October 16, featuring special displays, a raffle and staff dressed in pink. Community engagement librarian Katie Mitchell said it was the first time they had done something for Pink Ribbon, and she was pleased with the response.
“We have had lots of donations from local businesses,” she said. “I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported our Pink Day, whether they donated prizes, bought raffle tickets or made a donation. We raised the grand total of $222.20.”
Money raised for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ is used to support people with breast cancer and fund education programmes.
