Heinz employees at Wagga Wagga spread some Christmas Cheer

Employees at Heinz Wagga Wagga have banded together to make a generous donation to community groups and their local hospital this Christmas.

The donation, valued at $2,800, will help to brighten Christmas for patients, residents and clients at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, Micah House and the Edel Quinn Shelter.
"This year there was an idea to make the contribution to charity, instead of giving Christmas gifts," explains Nicole Lofts, Human Resources Manager at Heinz Wagga Wagga.
"We put the idea to our employees and received a lovely positive response, with many people saying they thought it was a great opportunity to help out the community at Christmas," said Nicole.
Pam Rawle, Nursing Unit Manager of the Paediatric Unit at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, is thrilled with their $1,800 donation which will be used to buy much-needed resources including portable DVD players and a flat screen television.
"Often if children are unwell they cannot or don't want to get out of bed to go to the Play Room, so a DVD player is a great way to entertain and distract them," explained Pam.
"The flat screen TV will go into the toddler bay. We try to make the ward feel as much like home as possible as it is very distressing for the children and parents to be in hospital," she continued.
"I cannot get over the generosity of the community because without your support, our children would not have the equipment the ward has been so lucky to get," said Pam.
Community group Micah House, a care and support house for people in need whether through loneliness or disadvantage, will use their $500 donation to put on a hearty Christmas lunch for their clients and staff on Wednesday 16 December.
"Christmas can be a really difficult time for many people, especially those who are disadvantaged or on their own," said June Sheather, Micah House Coordinator.
"Our Christmas lunch is one of our biggest events and the donation from Heinz means that we’ll be able to cater for around 130 people, which is fantastic. Heinz has helped us over the years and we are grateful for their support," continued June.
The third recipient is Edel Quinn Shelter, which provides a Homeless Support Service and a regional men's 24-hour crisis shelter. After speaking with the staff at the shelter, it became clear that their greatest need was for food items. In response, Heinz will donate $500 to put on a Christmas Lunch for their clients at the Shelter, as well as their clients in the Outreach program.
"We have a really tough budget. This will help us out in providing a traditional Christmas Lunch on Christmas Day," said Don Donnelly, Catering Officer at Edel Quinn.
Heinz encourages other businesses to look for opportunities to help this Christmas. "The more the merrier when our communities need it most," said Nicole.