Sending Love Ōtepoti has collected about 2000 hand-made Christmas cards to distribute to residents at 26 rest-homes in the area.
Co-ordinator Lisa Russell said children from about 20 Dunedin schools had created the cards using colour, collage and decoration.
"The effort that these kids go to is just phenomenal.
"Often they will do these in the last week or two of school."
The cards feature personal messages of love or details about the children’s lives, such as one from a pupil at Sawyers Bay School which read: "I like maths at school because I can let my brain do all the work".
"It is just amazing the creativity that they go to."
Dr Russell said her daughters Lisa and Amber helped her with the project, collecting and sorting the cards.
The support of Dunedin Public Libraries was also invaluable, she said.
"Without them and the amazing Dianne Mears who co-ordinates collecting the cards dropped into our libraries, we wouldn’t be able to do this venture."
The value of these small gestures was profound for recipients who might otherwise receive nothing.
"For some of the rest-homes, they don't have family, they don't have friends.
"Some stories that have come through is there is one lady that has it on her wall and she brings everybody in to say, look what my friend sent me."
The rest-homes often arranged something special when the cards were distributed.
"Like it either goes out at a Christmas dinner or they read them out to their residents.
"You just get overwhelmed with such a small act, what it can do for people," Dr Russell said.
As well as being delivered to the rest-homes, cards will also grace the tables at the annual Dunedin Community Christmas Dinner taking place at the Dunedin Town Hall.
