It was an appeal straight from the heart. 'I am here to ask you kindly for your support…”

That was little Natalia Jourdain of Room 6 at Pyes Pa Primary School pitching her ‘Hand on Heart' project to the school assembly.

'Because together we can make a difference,” she told her fellow school pupils.

And the eight-year-old's message managed to touch both buttons and hearts. The very next day there was a big box outside the school office and families of Pyes Pa Primary pupils had started donating stuff – toothpaste, toothbrushes, soaps, deodorants, cremes, shower gels, tissues and toilet paper.

It's has been cleared three times so far. And the gifts will be made into care packs – nearly 40 of them valued at about $25 each – and distributed to the city's homeless and needy.

It all started with a chance encounter with a homeless man and his little plastic begging cup outside a bakery in Greerton. 'I bought him something to eat,” says Natalia's mother Margaret Jourdain. 'But after learning about his circumstances we decided there must be something more we could do."

'Food was his priority but he had other needs and we decided a care packs would be ideal. 'Not just for one person but for a family.”

That night Natalia and Margaret sat down and worked out a vision statement – to provide care packs to help the needy and homeless in Tauranga. 'Then we wrote down why we were doing it, how we are going to do it and when they would get started.”

After financing the first few purchases themselves the family went to Countdown, which gave Natalia a $50 Prezzy gift card. That was a great start, according to Margaret.

Then Natalia made her heartfelt appeal to Pyes Pa Primary School assembly. And pupils and parents responded generously to Natalia's ‘Hand on Heart' appeal.

They now have enough gift items to make up nearly 40 care packs.

Natalia will feature again at next Wednesday's school assembly. She will present the care packs to Liz Kite of Under the Stars – a group that offers meals to the homeless on Saturday nights. They will distribute the care packs.