Daffodil Day volunteer plea

On August 26 buckets will be rattling and blooms will be handed out.

Daffodil Day is around the corner to raise money to support the work of the Cancer Society around care, research and services.

The society is in urgent need of volunteer street collectors on August 26 and 27.

Now in its 26th year, Daffodil Day raises cancer awareness and the bright yellow flowers represent hope for one in three New Zealanders affected by the disease each year.

More than 500,000 daffodils have arrived at Cancer Society centres around the country ready to be sold by street collectors.

Donations made help fund the Cancer Society’s initiatives, such as the volunteer driving service available to patients. Each year approximately 23,200 trips are made, providing transport to almost 2,400 patients and covering 958,300 km. Donations also help the Society provide accommodation across the road from the major hospitals in New Zealand.

Chief executive Claire Austin says the positive progress made in the last year around cancer care in New Zealand, including the funding of melanoma drugs Opdivo and its alternative Keytruda, shines light on new areas to focus on.

‘‘We have made huge strides over the past year with the generous donations from caring individuals,’’ she says.

‘‘We want to continue to advocate and. . . provide quality care for cancer patients and their whanau in New Zealand. We are confident Daffodil Day will allow us to do that.’’

Austin says there is still a lot of inequity in New Zealand for those with cancer.

‘‘It’s difficult to get financial support if you can’t work because of cancer and this should be a priority for the Government.

‘‘We help those who fall through the cracks and advocate for fairness for all patients. We thank those who donate to allow us to provide this support,’’ she says.

The Cancer Society New Zealand has spent over $6 million on cancer research in the past year to reduce the incidence and impact of cancer and yet it receives no government funding to fund cancer care services provided and research.

If you can spare a couple of hours on August 26 and 27, go to cancernz.org.nz for more information on how to get involved.