Helping keep vulnerable tamaraki warm this winter is the goal of a partnership between
Standard Issue and Middlemore Foundation
Iconic New Zealand knitwear brand Standard Issue has teamed up with Middlemore Foundation, for Knitting Aroha, a campaign striving to gift 3000 jumpers by the end of winter.
The Jumper for Jumper charity initiative is part of a joint mission to warm up winter for vulnerable tamariki.
With many Kiwi kids going without basic essentials, Standard Issue is gifting a woollen children’s jumper for every Standard Issue jumper purchased online and in-store this winter.
Iconic Kiwis and friends of Standard Issue such as Al Brown, Dom Bowden, Hannah Barrett, Shaneel Lal, Jess B, and more have come together, combining their individual power for a wider mission, to spread awareness for Jumper for Jumper 2023.
One in 10 Kiwi kids live through winter without access to basic needs such as sufficient food, a good bed, or warm clothing; a statistic was revealed prior to the early 2023 floods.
With every single jumper purchased online or in-store, Standard Issue will knit and gift a jumper to Middlemore Foundation. Jumpers can also be gifted separately for $30, and Standard Issue will knit and gift on your behalf.
Middlemore Foundation works closely on-ground with local communities. Their physical presence during Jumper for Jumper also provides families with support, beyond warmth, during these tough winter months. The result of this on-ground approach enables jumpers to be correctly distributed to those most in need.
For many of the children who receive these donated jumpers, it’s the only item of clothing that they own outside of a school uniform and pyjamas.
“The families have to choose between food on the table or new clothing and footwear for the children. Due to Covid-19, the floods and the high cost of living it has been really tough for families. A lot of the families are given hand-me-down clothing from their older siblings to help save money for other essential items,” says Lyle Smith, Community Relationship Coordinator at Middlemore Foundation
Young New Zealander of the Year, Shaneel Lal, says “We know that winter makes people vulnerable to sickness, and being able to keep warm is a part of preventing that. I am proud to support Jumper for Jumper because it is working to ensure that kids do not go without basic essentials in the cold months.”
“I live down the road from Middlemore Hospital, so it’s a cause that is quite literally close to home for me. Reading more about the initiative and finding out that one in four Pacific children live in poverty was heartbreaking for me,” says Flava Presenter Mariner Fagaiava.
Gifted jumpers are crafted in Standard Issue’s Tāmaki Makaurau workroom by their diverse team of skilled craftspeople, with warmth and longevity in mind. Knitting of their donated jumpers can also be viewed on an industrial knitting machine in Standard Issue’s flagship store in Osborne Lane, Newmarket.
Images by Zico O’Neill-Rutene