Generous donations

Gathering Samoan community donations for the Tongan volcano relief effort on Saturday were (from left) Dunedin Tongan Relief Committee members Dr Losa Moata’ane and Uili Kolo’ofa’i, Samoan community member Satele Fa’atoese, Tongan community member Sailose Pole, Samoan Advisory Council chairman Afamasaga Pavihi, Labour MP Ingrid Leary and Tongan Community president Palanite Taungapeau.

Mr Pavihi said the Samoan community had been collecting donations for their Tongan brothers and sisters since the volcano and subsequent tsunami last month.

Saturday’s event allowed the collected food and essential supplies to be presented to representatives from the Tongan relief effort, to be transported to the affected islands.

Samoan families had been very generous in their donations and some families had donated entire shopping trolleys of food, Mr Pavihi said.