Early last month Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora reached out to Alsco Uniforms to see if we were able to support whānau in Waiora that were severely impacted by recent flooding.
Over 400 households have been affected, with 127 marked with yellow stickers. Many of these homes include tamariki and kaumatua, all of whom have been left with very limited bedding and linen. Residents have been instructed to discard all their soft furnishings. A colleague in Wairoa reported that whānau have been retrieving bedding from rubbish piles due to the lack of available supplies locally.
Our Palmerston North and Richmond branches quickly stepped in, providing much-needed sheets, pillowcases, and towels, which were in high demand and greatly appreciated. We also organised transportation through our Napier depot, with local leader Robbie Semu facilitating deliveries and assessing further needs. Recognising the urgent demand for bedding, Richard Mahood and his Richmond team gathered boxes of duvets, quilts, blankets, mattress protectors, and bathrobes, and sent them off to those in need.
As Richard aptly put it, “We want to provide more than just sheets! We have some old stock of bathrobes that we will send out. They’re warm and comforting—everyone deserves to feel cozy at night in a nice, fluffy bathrobe.”
Several pallets of Alsco goods were delivered to our Napier branch, where team members Robbie and Martin Rangi transported them to the Wairoa Rain Event Distribution Centre. When the organisation requested our help to pick up a bed for an elderly man whose home was yellow-stickered and who was found sleeping on a damp mattress, our team gladly stepped up. We arranged transportation and delivered a new bed directly to his home.
Great work, Alsco! And our support continues. The Wairoa community still urgently needs towels and flannels and Robbie is coordinating additional donations.
