Kiwis from all over the country can donate to the Christchurch City Mission's Earthquake Appeal - and to get you started, GrabOne has donated the first $5,000.

When news of the weekend's 7.1 Christchurch earthquake broke, every New Zealander was shocked by the damage it caused. Homes demolished in a matter of seconds. Entire families instantly made homeless. Businesses damaged beyond repair. Can you imagine that happening at your place? Your personal possessions ruined. Your livelihood destroyed. Your home never to be lived in again. A little close to home, isn't it. Think about how the residents of Christchurch are feeling.

It's going to take a lot of time, effort, patience - and finance - to get Christchurch back up and running. This week, let's think of people in need rather than ourselves and make a donation to the Christchurch City Mission. All it takes is $5 to help our southern neighbours get back on their feet.

Your kind contribution will help supply food, water, clothing, sanitation and shelter to needy Christchurch residents who don't have access to normal goods and services anymore. Keen to donate a little more? GrabOne doesn't charge credit card transaction fees so you can donate as many times as you'd like. If 5000 people from right around the country donated just $5 each, together we would raise $25,000 that will go straight to the good people at Christchurch City Mission.

Despite the local destruction, compare Christchurch's 7.1 quake to the devastating 7.0 Haiti quake earlier this year, where more than 230,000 people were killed. We really do live in Godzone when we realise that no life was lost during one of Aotearoa's most powerful earthquakes.

You can tell New Zealand is one big family when Kiwis join together in support of each other. While schools are closed, while downtown Christchurch is in lockdown, while families access their situation and see what little can be recovered, take a little time out of your day to be thankful that we live in such a community-focused nation that would instantly pull together if your home town was destroyed. $5 is all it takes.

And in return for your kindness, Loop, Eru Dangerspeil and Tommy Ill have kindly donated some fresh tunes to download. Check out your GrabOne coupon for more details.