Christmas has come early for Ne’etia Tapuai from Tapatapao and her family.

The mother-of-five was the recipient of a food hamper courtesy of local company Island Rock, as part of its 25 Days of the Spirit of Christmas Campaign. 

The campaign focused on vulnerable Samoan families who were featured in the Village Voice column of the Samoa Observer newspaper.

Ne’etia was one of the three lucky families that received food supplies like a box of tinned fish, noodles, box of crackers, sacks of rice, sugar along with toys for the children. 

“From the bottom of my heart, as a mother raising her children, I thank you Island Rock for your gifts that are truly blessings to our family.

“We depend upon selling vegetables in front of our home for income—but thanks to your help—it has eased the burden that we had to prepare for this coming Christmas holidays. 

“My children will be able to have a decent meal and enough to last us throughout these festive seasons,” she said.

According to the 45-year-old mother, their story appeared in the Samoa Observer column as they needed assistance to get milk for their premature baby. The doctors at the hospital had recommended the Golden Farley brand, she added. 

“We also thank Samoa Observer because we got the help that we needed through their village voice programme.

“But we still face problems like water accessibility and yet we have for more than four years without a supply of good, clean water.

“We depend upon our buckets to store water so can allocate it for various uses,” she added.

Island Rock representative, Maiava Iosia, said that families like Ne’etia in need of help are the main focus of their campaign, in the company’s strive to give back to the community.

“Our company has decided to spread the joy of Christmas through the spirit of giving towards selected families and organizations.

“Every family featured has different needs and concerns but we have chosen food supplies and children’s toys to bring happiness to selected families.

“It is through our collaboration with Samoa Observer that deals with locating families that need help that has made this work possible,” Maiava added. 

The campaign will run for 25 days and end on December 24. It features a variety of programmes and activities.