Long update- if you want to know where we are and what We need scroll to the bottom
For the last week Bo and I have been covering K's as per usual. The moment we heard that Edgecumbe had burst it's banks and that it was an emergency, Bo and I Started figuring how we could help.
We contacted a few shops and businesses and were contacted by a few also. We started by putting on a fundraiser in Bay Barbers in Tauranga, where Frances the owner had put together large boxes of cleaning supplies, food and water to take with me.
They gave me a chair to fundraiser in for free for a day, legends!.
Straight after that I got on a plane and flew down to Wellington where I was offered a free chair to use by Rod at The Godfather Barbers.
I was able to see a large section of my Wellington clientele, here we raised funds for Edgecumbe . After that I flew back up to Tauranga and caught back up with Bo who was staying at mumsies.
We borrowed a campervan from Lewis and went up to Edgecumbe ourselves. First spot we went to was the Red Cross Emergency Center in Whakatane.
Here we had DHB mental health working, Housing New Zealand and Winz making sure that the governmental side was taking care of for these people that had lost their homes. I didn't do any cuts there but I talked with the locals that were staying there and the kids who for the most part were happy they were missing a couple days of school but were also feeling deeply misplaced.
During this time Bo was working hard. He was sitting with people that were trying to get help from the social services and letting them pet him.
It was at this point I realised how incredibly important Bo is to this adventure we are on. How calming he can be to people going through intense stress.
It was then that I noticed whenever someone has been telling me a personal effect suicide has had on their lives, Bo has always only been a reach away.
Next Bo and I headed over to Kawerau to the Marae where the majority of the evacuees were sleeping and staying. Again Bo wandered around calming people and playing with the kids as I helped unload donations and had talks with some of the victims of the floods about PTSD and what kind of effects this can have on their kids and partners.
After we had finished there Bo and I started doing our house calls, we were turning up to overcrowded houses in the area. the worst housing over 30 people in a three bedroom home. In these places I cut hair and had my conversation but was also able to give away four one hundred dollar grocery cards provided by Astrolabe Bar in the mount.
The amount of gratitude we were showen was humbling. Bo and I rattled our way back to Tauranga the night Cook was supposed to make land, at direction of the Red Cross, who by this time have become good friends to Bo and I.
Sadly the storm stopped us from being able to work at the Zeal night markets Thursday night, although we do plan to team up with Zeal sometime in the future.
Bo and I have also made it to the final round of selection for Ted X talks, so Cross all those fingers for us!
This next week is all go! I'm looking for builders and tradesmen. I'm looking for glaziers and artists. I'm looking for donations of ply, timber and steel and ally. As we're going to be doing a 24hour build and hopefully have it covered by The Project if all goes well.
Crowd funding been going well thanks to all that have donated, I'm still pretty far from my target but hopefully we can get at least 7k in the next few weeks and we will be off!
Bo and I will be floating between Tauranga/Rotorua/Edgecumbe this next two weeks.
Come see us, talk to us! Even if your not here to trade come have a yarn, after all that's what we're here for!
Love always and thanks for your continued support
Bo and Sam
The Barter Barber
