Along with being the fundraising executive for the Wellington City Mission (WCM), Maurice is a keen golfer and grandfather to 9 children.
The Covid lockdown has had a significant effect on the Wellington City Mission. To keep their motivation with their Zoom meetings during this period they were able to include All Blacks, the Prime Minister and other celebs – it all helped to keep their spirits up.
COVID certainly had them rethinking everything they did – many things stopped and there were a lot younger people requiring need as the lower end retail and hospitality jobs were retrenched. Volunteers couldn’t help out, all of the donated food stopped coming in as restaurants and cafes weren’t open, many of the channels they had previously used weren’t available and yet with their determination and quick thinking, they managed to deliver a full years’ worth of food and meals by car over 2 months.
Wellingtonians pitched in with thousands of dollars in donations. A house in Petone was made available to WCM and the Wellington City Night Shelter was dissolved and handed over to WCM. A building on Manners Street was also made available with 38 rooms for emergency shelter.
Since lockdown, WCM has been involved in Sports Banks – providing free sports gear for kids who want to play sports but can’t afford the kit.
The Drop-in-Centre that they ran has changed from supplying a set lunch each day to providing food which is available for people all day, served to the table and users can stay as long as they need.
They ran a last chance school for kids who needed some help and direction but have decided this is better run by Praxis who are already doing it.
A major focus is now on Whakamaru – a new build 5 storey building – which will provide 35 semi-permanent (up to 1 year) housing units. The WCM office will also be in there which will allow them to have a better interaction with their clients. It will have facilities and spaces for the community to use also.
During hard times it’s always the less well-resourced that struggle – the Wellington City Mission always appreciated the support it gets from Wellington residents and supporters.
As Wellingtonians we also appreciate the support that WCM provide to our less fortunate residents – well done WCM….keep up the good work.