Everything sucks!? Yes. BUT...

Feeling hopeless about the world? Yeah. I get it. But you know what helps with that? Supporting your community. Genuinely! It helps!

Taking part in community activities, like volunteering, boosts our self-esteem, confidence and overall wellbeing. Community support can be particularly helpful during times of crisis. And ummm, well you have seen the news.

So, here are a handful of things you can do to support your neighbours and vulnerable groups - most of them should only take you a few minutes to do.

Save this page and come back to it if you don’t have time.

You can also share this post or cut and paste any of the calls to act below and share them with anyone you think might be interested… I would love it if you could share the whole post though!

I know it feels like we can’t make a difference - but we really can. We can make a difference and we are making a difference. I believe in us!

Can you knit or crochet? One Mother to Another make packs that are sent to mothers and Carers who have babies in hospital. You can knit a blanket or crochet for their packs - they have patterns for volunteers.

Do you like driving? New Zealand Red Cross desperately needs Meals on Wheels drivers all over the country. The commitment is small. Drivers deliver meals once a week every two weeks and shifts are flexible.

Good in a crisis? Hato Hone St John has so many volunteer opportunities available to fit any schedule! From working in the shops to call centre dispatch to volunteering at events. You can even volunteer with your dog (Pipi could never!).

Love flowers? The iconic daffodil is recognised around the world as a symbol of hope for people impacted by cancer. Why not get a bunch of daffodils delivered from the Cancer Society and hand them out at your child’s school or your workplace? Got a bit more time? Volunteer on Daffodil Day. It’s Friday 29th of August this year, but you can volunteer on Saturday 30th in some centres too! 

Got time to email? The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. With Green, Te Pāti Māori and Labour’s committed support, we now need just six of 68 Government MPs to pass the Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill into law. Email the Prime Minister and ask him to ‘Please support the Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill. Please be on the right side of history’ etc. etc. More info here about the bill. Cut and paste Luxon’s email: Christopher.Luxon@parliament.govt.nz

No Bots Here: If you submitted to the Regulatory Standards Bill, email David Seymour to let him know you’re not a bot - mpepsom@parliament.govt.nz

Help parents of autistic tamariki: ASD Dads + Mums - a grassroots charitable organisation - are asking people to let them know if you know a neuro-affirming Kura, Kindy, ECE, school (primary and high school) for autistic children. Fill out their form here. You can also provide feedback on what you need if you have an autistic child.

Call out online harassment campaigns: Make an official complaint to cabinetoffice@dpmc.govt.nz about David Seymour targeting academics who speak out against the Regulatory Standards Bill. His attacks on individuals who criticise the bill put those individuals at risk and I believe they breach of the Cabinet Manual. You can write any variation on: I believe David Seymour’s ‘Victim of the Day’ posts targeting academics and New Zealanders who share their views on his bill breach of Sections 2.53 and 2.56 of the Cabinet Manual. Section 2.53 called on ministers to "conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the office," while Section 2.56 said ministers were expected to behave in a way that upheld the highest ethical and behavioural standards. “This includes exercising a professional approach and good judgement in their interactions with the public, staff, and officials, and in all their communications, personal and professional," it says. Please ensure David Seymour ends this online harassment campaign and removes the attacks he currently has on his Facebook pages.

Help this winter: KidsCan, which launched its winter appeal. They have said there is a 15% increase in need compared with the same period last year. “Material hardship rates for children have not improved since 2018 baseline reporting by Stats NZ, and food prices rising again by 4.4% in the 12 months to May,” the KidsCan CEO said. How can you help? What about asking your local school if you can donate kai to them to be shared with the children, or see if they have any specific need in the community - e.g. a winter duvet or a sleeping bag. You can also donate to KidsCan or to your local food bank. Here’s a guide to donating to you local pataka Kai.

Support a family suffering at the hands of Police: The recent death in custody of Kumanjayi White, a 24-year old Warlpiri man from Yuendumu, is horrendous. His family need our help - They are asking for an investigation by a body independent of the Northern Territory police force. They’re also requesting all relevant CCTV and body cam footage and are asking that the olice involved in Kumanjayi's death be stood down while the investigation proceeds. Police have been alleging without evidence criminality by Kumanjayi and have been denigrating his character. They need to apologise for all statements made to date. Sign the petition to the Acting NT Commissioner of Police supporting his family.

Help for Mums-to-be: Christchurch parenting and pregnancy support charity Pregnancy Infancy Parenting Support (PIPS) might close after 50 years - and they do amazing things. They provide free, non-judgmental, client-focused practical and emotional support during pregnancy and early parenting. Can you donate?

Boycott, Divest, Sanction! Teachers for Palestine Aotearoa are calling on the Minister of Education, Erica Stanford to end the ongoing procurement contract between HP and the Ministry of Education. This is because HP has ties to the genocidal Israeli occupation regime in Palestine. Can you sign their petition?

Wear your support for Palestine: The keffiyeh is a symbol of the courage, resilience and love of the Palestinian people. The keffiyeh can be worn by anyone in support of the Palestinian cause. In fact, Palestinians love to see people from around the world wearing it to show their solidarity and support. If you’d like to buy one, it’s important that you buy one from Palestine that supports Palestinians. Palestinian Identity in Tāmaki Makaurau sell Kufiyas made in Jordan by Palestinian refugees. The factory that produces their kufiyas was established in the 1950’s in Jericho, Palestine. After the 1967 war, the owners were displaced and sought refuge in Amman, Jordan where they relocated the factory and continued to produce a wide variety of kufiyas and textiles. For every order placed on Preserved Identity, they donate a meal to children in Gaza. They also sell jewellery and all sorts of beautiful Palestinian products.

Bayyāra - From Palestine to Aotearoa sells Hebron ceramics, Nablus olive oil, and other Palestinian products that are shipped from our small farm on the Kāpiti Coast. They also have Palestinian recipes on their website.

Thank you so much for supporting me to do my mahi, you’re not just supporting me and my family but my community too. When you become a paid subscriber it means I can keep doing what I’m doing trying to help whenever and wherever I can.

Finally: Convoys of Good are on a mission to alleviate poverty from Aotearoa to the rest of the world. They’re currently running an appeal for Gaza - 01-0171-0633646-00 reference: Gaza appeal. I’ve also set up a mutual aid fund going to vetted Givealittle campaigns after people told me they hated ‘picking’ families. I can deeply relate. But through this mutual aid fund we have been able to support eight families in Gaza with your donations. I’m in contact with these families and they’re incredible grateful for support from Aotearoa. This is not a registered charity it’s a mutual aid fund. That account is 38-9004-0845765-05. I post receipts on my Instagram page.