Labour of love for volunteers

AMY MCGILLIVRAY

A community-minded group of young people is giving up part of the summer break and taking time off work for a 12-day tour of the country which will see members helping out wherever they can.

Young Labour began their trek down the country on Monday with their first stops in Orewa and Waitakere.

Tuesday saw the group of 17 to 26-year-olds at the Glen Innes Family Centre packaging flour, sugar, rice, tea bags and crackers to go in food parcels.

Centre manager Chris Makoare says extra hands always help.

The family centre runs a small foodbank which gives out about one parcel a day.

He says the basic items are often missing but a generous donation by Rem Systems has allowed the centre to provide the necessities.

"It's good to be able to top it up with those basic ingredients," Mr Makoare says.

It was this food the young volunteers spent the day packaging.

The group will travel as far south as Arrowtown and help about 14 community groups on their way.

Co-organisers Eric Goddard, 26, and Ella Hardy, 22, say the reason for the trip is to show that young people can get involved and make a difference.

"The idea is to get out around New Zealand and engage with the community groups and young people," Mr Goddard says. "We like to get out and show what Young Labour and Labour are really about."

Over the course of the trip the group will clean windows, build fences, plant trees, help elderly people, lend a hand at the AMP show in Levin and setup trampolines.

The tour is going well.

"People have been really stoked to see us in general.

"A lot of these places are really propped up by the community and volunteers that come in. We're just a flash in the pan but it's people that stick around all-year that help," Mr Goddard says.

- © Fairfax NZ News