Octacan was held on Thursday, 20 June 2019 and was another demonstration of generous support from the Otago community.
From 4,000 items donated in the very first Octacan (2009) the day has certainly grown. Over 140,000 items have been donated at Octacan across the last eleven events.
For our eleventh Octacan, the day began with colder temperatures but the sun soon appeared and shone bright across the day. Plenty of warm hearts meant the Octagon was a very busy destination across the day.
Many generous people and groups came along to fill up the nine hearts, that had been drawn in the Octagon, with donations.
The total donated, as at Thursday, 27 June, was 14,319 cans and $5,465 – a total of 19,784. Community support hasn’t stopped and cans, food and coin donations all continue to be brought into Family Works on a daily basis.
Supporter Development Manager Jude McCracken said, “The community was very generous again this year, and it was wonderful to see a number of people of all ages coming to the Octagon to be involved last week.”
“We see the community show ongoing support throughout the year with donations being brought into Family Works. Without this support we couldn’t do what we do.”
“Octacan is not just an event to collect donations to restock the shelves, but a reminder that there are people out there who need the support we can provide. The community response to this need is always very generous and humbling to see.”
Family Works and Presbyterian Support Otago would like to express a huge round of thanks to everyone that supported Octacan 2019.
Our grateful thanks to the many volunteers who collected cans and coins on Thursday, and those who have helped us to sort and store the cans.
To all groups and individuals that showed they care by bringing donations we say a simple, but heartfelt, thank you.
Octacan 2019 total (as at Wednesday 10 July)
- Cans/food: 14,797
- Coins: $5,545
- Total: 20,342
The public has donated more than 143,000 cans and food items though Octacan over the last eleven years.