A delighted mum getting to share chocolate with her kids. Mashed potatoes and the first taste of scrambled eggs. A full pantry so there's money for a small Christmas gift. Knowing your neighbour is thinking of you.
This is what a charity's Christmas-time hampers are all about.
What started ten years ago as a one-off idea with 21 hampers has exponentially grown with 2030 hampers needed this Christmas.
The project, Nourish Christmas, is run by Wellington residents Gabe Ralph and Claire Turner.
"For us, it's about spreading some Christmas sparkle," Ralph said.
"We want to let families in our community know we are thinking of them."
Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
In the last decade, they have provided 6387 hampers of food to families in Wellington city stretching all the way up Kāpiti Coast.
Turner had been volunteering at a Lower Hutt school where she saw firsthand, ākonga needing the breakfasts, fruits and milk provided by Kids Can.
"I started thinking, when they're not at school and are at home over the Christmas holidays, how hard it must be on the parents," she said.
"I know what my two teenage boys are like, how much time they spend in the pantry and the fridge."
She wanted to fundraise and try help out "a few families" in the area.
"We were stoked to raise enough money to do 21 hampers that year," Turner said.
"And so the next year, we thought, let's try again."
The project has been growing ever since, with a whole warehouse loaned by Farrah's needed to pack the Christmas hampers.
The hampers are valued at $150 each. They are made up of fresh fruit and vegetables, a dozen eggs and pantry staples.
Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
Ralph said initially the hamper's purpose was to provide a Christmas spread.
In the first year of hampers, they provided roast chicken and butter.
"But then one of the kids who got a hamper said they didn't have power at their house, so they couldn't run a fridge," Ralph said.
"So we changed pretty quickly to focus on filling the pantry rather than putting a Christmas spread on the table."
With the pantry filled, money is freed for small Christmas gifts.
They get amazing feedback every year from the schools and whanau they provide.
"One school said to us that every year that we make big men cry," Turner said.
"The food's important, but we also get a lot of feedback about the fact that people care."
Ralph said the growth was organic; it was never planned.
Nourish now approaches every primary school in the Greater Wellington region.
"The schools tell us how many families need a hamper and then we do our very best to raise that amount," Ralph said.
This year they need to raise $304,500 and they are currently facing a shortfall.
The need for hampers has increased year on year - in 2023, they had requests for 1780 hampers, with 1207 needed in 2022.
But this is the first year the team is really worried. They're about 600 hampers short of reaching all their families in need.
"There's been huge pressure on grant fundraising, raising money from businesses and donations, and then just the cost of the groceries - it's all gone up," Ralph said.
"And we're seeing that families are doing it tougher than ever and every stress seems to be amplified around Christmas."
Turner said, as an entirely volunteer-run charity, they fly under the radar. But they're not giving up.
"If anyone wants to support us, spread the word about what we do. We have some amazing business sponsors, so why not sponsor us too," she said.
Tui Glen School principal Jessica Meates said Nourish has helped hundreds of their families over the years.
"These hampers take some financial strain off households, and that isn't to be underestimated, there are often tears when whānau come in to pick hampers up."
Turner and Claire previously used to "feed the whole school" every Friday ("out of their own pockets"), Meates said. They would bring sandwiches and home baking before the lunches in-schools programme. She said attendance even improved.
Their work continues.
"Our target is huge to reach, but we think about it one hamper at a time. So if someone can donate just one hamper, we'll get closer and closer to our target," Turner said.
