Each Tuesday, the newspaper will profile corporates who donate more than $5000 to the campaign, in addition to profiling hospice staff and volunteers.
Today, Otago hospice chief executive Ginny Green introduces readers to the background to the hospice, and ODT reporter Ellie Constantine profiles Gerry and Robyn Elliman, from the Butterflies Hospice Shop in Dunedin.
After proudly supporting the Otago Community Hospice for more than 10 years, the Butterflies Hospice Shop is known as the "jewel in the crown of hospice funding".
The shop was regarded as the key to hospice funding because last year its 20 volunteers raised $280,000, every dollar of which went straight to the hospice, volunteer Gerry Elliman said.
Considering the price of most of the items in the shop, it took a lot of effort to raise such a sum of money.
"We try to put out our best donations at fair prices," Mr Elliman said.
He believed the store had great customers.
Donations of clothing and goods flood into the Hanover St, Dunedin, site daily and are also collected of an evening when required.
"It's amazing what people will donate because they want the money to go to the hospice," store supervisor Robyn Elliman said.
The most valuable things to have been given included a diamond ring and a fur coat.
She also recalled a story of how two children had worked for a week and donated their pocket money to the hospice when their family was affected by cancer.
Displayed on a board in the shop are a number of butterflies which have been given to the shop.
The image was significant to the hospice because a young boy whose mother was in the hospice's care drew a butterfly and said it was his mother's spirit leaving her when she died, Mrs Elliman said.
She had worked at the shop for nine years and her husband, Mr Elliman, had for 10.
She joined him soon after he started because he had been having so much fun at the shop.
"It's an easy thing to give back," she said.
They believed strongly in the cause after the death of a family member.
