Supermarkets across New Zealand and Australia have come together to fundraise for those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.
"It’s been an incredibly tough few weeks for Aotearoa, and we know the coming days and weeks won’t be easy either,” said Countdown’s Managing Director, Spencer Sonn.
A staggering twelve hundred supermarkets have and are participating in fundraising efforts. Countdown has fundraised $430,000 in food and funds to support relief and rescue organisations that are on the ground assisting the most impacted communities.
Countdown has distributed food and funds across various organisations, including the New Zealand Red Cross, New Zealand Food Network, Gizzy Kai Rescue, Nourished for Nil and The Salvation Army. However, Sonn also wanted to extend his gratitude to Woolworths, Countdown’s Australian Counterpart, for their commitment to supporting and raising funds for New Zealand during this time.
“We’re pleased that our colleagues at Woolworths supermarkets in Australia feel passionate about this as well and are showing this by fundraising too, and we hope that our combined efforts across the Tasman will go some way towards helping Kiwis get back on their feet.”
As of Wednesday, 22nd of February, Countdown customers can provide support by rounding up their purchases in-store to help those impacted by the ongoing flood crisis and the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
While not all may be able to provide support, Sonn stated that if you can round up, it would make all the difference for the fundraising effort. However, Sonn also thanks the Countdown team for their commitment to helping their communities during these extreme weather events.
“I also want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our team of 22,000 who have done a phenomenal job of serving their local communities in some incredibly challenging circumstances over the last couple of weeks.”
The fundraising effort in-store will be open until the 1st of March.
