ADOPT A BLOCK  

Adopt a Block is an initiative that operates in the lower socio-economic areas of New Zealand where we regularly visit, help and motivate residents and give them a hand-up.

Through this initiative we aim to give consistent help over a significant period of time.   Adopt a Block has three main strategies through which we assist the communities that we work in.

1) Donations

For all of the residents that we visit, we provide donations of food and product to assist them when needed.  We also provide from time to time toys, bikes, even fridges, clothes, or other things as much as we can ( relying on the donations and sponsorship that we receive ).

2) Social Support

Many of the people that we work with do not have a support network of family or friends to help them through difficult situations (we find this especially when working with the elderly).  Sometimes the most useful thing we can offer these people is connection, a listening ear, and/or additionally connect them to other initiatives run by The Life Centre Trust (when appropriate) or to other organisations we partner with.

3) Practical Support

In July 2005 the Adopt a Block team developed the "House of the Month" initiative which has since been operating with great success.  Each month, one house is chosen at random from those that we work with and a team is able to come in and provide assistance with cleaning, fixing things, gardening, waterblasting, lawnmowing, and much more.  It has been awesome to see the impact this is having on the area in which we're involved.  We're excited about the way this initiative will develop with time.

Adopt a Block is like a "jack-of-all-trades" initiative that encompasses a wide range of assistance in the community in which it operates.