Pay It Forward: 

Every year, every class at Western Heights does a Pay It Forward for our school, community, country or even world.

Projects might be significant - such as organising a shipping container of supplies to go to Fiji after a cyclone - or small, such as collecting rubbish every day at the end of lunchtime.

Whatever form they take, they are projects done with love and with no expectation of any reward.

This past weekend, 22 staff from Western Heights joined hundreds of other volunteers in Mount Roskil to pack Christmas Boxes. On the day, we packed over 9,000 boxes. For me, that was 14,000 steps and a lot of lifting, so it was effectively a free workout as well as a Pay It Forward. 

Huge kudos to teacher Mele James (in the Santa hat at left), who is the driving force behind Western Heights' involvement in this initiative. Mele lives out our Pay It Forward kaupapa on a daily basis.

Christmas Box - https://christmasbox.co.nz

What once started as a local initiative, delivering gift-wrapped food boxes to neighbouring families during the holidays, Christmas Box now supplies food essentials and treats to over a hundred thousand people every year across New Zealand, Australia and the Cook Islands.

Meeting an ever-increasing need in our communities, Christmas Box brings more than just food in a time of need; it also provides a reminder of hope that a community cares, which is something we can't put a price on.

We believe that by bringing hope to the table, the lasting impact goes beyond a treat at Christmas.

Christmas Box is a food box that caters to a family of 4-6, helping supplement breakfast, lunch and dinner meals over a week.

Clestina, a Christmas Box recipient, says,“Some people may think it’s just a box of goodies, but for a family like mine, it’s such a treat… an amazing thing to receive just before Christmas.”