A special place called Lower Hutt

Hello lovely people,

Eat So They Can has now raised over $155,000! Despite the recession, we have raised more than double the amount raised last year. Amazing! Thank you so much to all our incredible hosts for making this possible.

In this blog, I want to share a few local stories from Lower Hutt with you. As you may know, GVN and GVN Foundation both have their main offices in Lower Hutt. It's a funny little place of about 100,000 people and even if you've visited NZ, you've probably never been to Lower Hutt. Having said this, incredible things are known to happen in The Hutt...

Maranatha Christian School Eat So They Can
A local Hutt school held a wonderful Eat So They Can picnic on 16th October. The students had been learning about Africa for several weeks and decided to do their bit to support the Global Children's Fund by creating an African money trail. They raised NZ$250 and learnt a lot about the lives of children in Africa. A huge thank you to everyone at Maranatha Christian School!

GVN African BBQ
This year, GVN held a Lower Hutt African BBQ! The BBQ was planned weeks in advance so when we heard it was going to rain all day on the 17th I have to admit that there was a small moment of panic! Fortunately, we were able to find a new venue and hold an indoor BBQ at a local church hall. Tracy, the GVN Africa coordinator, made the most delicious food and we all had a feast. There was also live entertainment by some local dance groups, a mandarin singing group, and an African-American poet. The event was a great success and raised over NZ$2,000!

Adrienne Matheson and Shelter Orphanage
Adrienne Matheson is from Lower Hutt and was a GVN volunteer at Shelter Orphanage in Kenya. Since returning to New Zealand, Adrienne has stayed connected to Shelter through Eat So They Can.

"During my time in Kenya, I knew I had to have an on-going commitment with the orphanage. I knew a little about the GVN Foundation, Eat So They Can event and after finding out more, I realized this was a good way of making a continuing influence. There is now a sense of peace and excitement for me in continuing to help these children through ESTC. Not only have I been with them in their part of the world, but I can continue to help them from my part of the world."

So wherever you are in the world, remember that it's not as hard as you think to make a difference. “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.” (Brian Littrell)

Have a good day,

Eliza