The charity has grown exponentially in the past three years, from a service which was focused on support meetings for people with ME/CFS to where it now provides services to over 300 people across Canterbury and the West Coast.
Manager Nicola Stokes said there were a large number of people in South Canterbury who had ME/CFS and LC.
"We are coming to Timaru to hold a support meeting to discuss our services and offer in-person support, as well as allowing people who are unwell and able to attend to make contact with others in the community.
"It is our hope that as funding allows, we will be able to make these meetings a regular occurrence. We currently have around 50 members across South Canterbury, and are sure that there are many others we haven’t yet reached.
"Using conservative estimates based on population data and international research, we estimate there are 2900 people with LC and 250 with ME/CFS in South Canterbury."
She said the charity operated completely on grants and donations to maintain and provide their services.
"We receive no funding from government. We are extremely grateful for the continuing generosity of these financial supporters who allow us to care for this poorly supported and often very unwell group of people.
"Out of need, especially since the closure of the long Covid hub in Canterbury, we have now expanded our service to cover people with LC.
"We employ two part-time registered nurses who provide in-person and telehealth services to assist people with diagnosis, assessment, lifestyle advice, assistance with pacing, advocacy and referral to other services."
The meeting will be held this Wednesday, September 4, from 1pm-3pm at the Timaru Library Community Room in Sophia St.
