About The Grocery Charity Ball Trust

Started in 2004, The Grocery Charity Ball Trust has been established to run the premier event on the grocery industry social calendar, and direct the profits to charitable trusts in New Zealand.
The annual event is held with the support of both Foodstuffs and Progressive, as well as the New Zealand Food & Grocery Council.

The Trust is administered by six trustees:

	Ross MacKenzie, Managing Director, Old Fashioned Foods Group, 021 542 206
	Don Graham, Director, Sales Link, 021 453 236
	Scott MacKay, Director, Tosco, 021 636 167
	Rob Davis, Director, Admission, 021 653 357
	Karen Clark, Sales Director, Arnott's, 021 975 672
	Leanne Carroll, National Sales Manager, Cerebos Gregg's, 027 221 2588

 

Two 2008 Beneficiaries

For the first time, the Trustees of the Grocery Charity Ball chose two charities to be the Beneficiaries of the 2008 Grocery Charity Ball.

What's Up, run by the Kids Help Foundation Trust, was the primary beneficiary of the 2008 Ball. While Hearing Dogs for Deaf People also received funding from the Ball, in a new funds distribution structure which saw the donations raised on the night split 70:30 between the primary and secondary Beneficiaries.

What's Up is a free, national telephone counselling service for New Zealanders aged 5 to 18 years that has been available since 22nd September 2001. The service operates seven days a week from noon to midnight. Paid, trained and closely supervised professional counsellors answer the telephones. What's Up aims to provide early help to children and teach them skills that will help prevent the development of major problems later in their lives.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People aims to enhance the independence and well-being of deaf and severely hearing-impaired New Zealanders through the provision of specially-trained Hearing Dogs, to internationally recognised standards.

For further information about the Beneficiaries, visit www.whatsup.co.nz and www.hearingdogs.org.nz.