Kerikeri Woodchoppers reach amazing donation milestone

This year as we celebrate our 30 Year Anniversary, we also celebrate receiving over $300,000 in donations from the incredible Kerikeri Woodchoppers.

Every Thursday, the Kerikeri Woodchoppers meet to split wood donated by Kerikeri locals. Mostly retired, the group are working for a cause, as the split wood is dried and then sold back to the community as firewood. The proceeds are then donated to The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ, helping to end avoidable blindness and vision impairment in the Pacific.

Mike Collins from Kerikeri Woodchoppers says, “It’s a real team effort. We get great satisfaction from our morning’s exercise and the knowledge that our efforts are making a real contribution to the lives of others.”

Jo Dowling, our Fundraising, Marketing and Communications Director, says “The Kerikeri Woodchoppers have given hundreds of hours of their free time over the last 14 years to raise money for us.”

“In our view these selfless people are the living embodiment of Fred Hollows, with a can-do attitude and determined to do the right thing. Their sacrifice of time and effort has resulted in the amazing total donation amount of over $300,000, helping us to restore sight to countless individuals throughout the Pacific.”

“Fred once said, ‘When I’ve seen an opportunity, I haven’t sat down and called a committee meeting. We’ve gone and done it.’ He could almost have been talking about the wonderful Woodchoppers,” finishes Jo.