The Craigs Investment Tauranga team. Photo / Supplied
The Craigs Investment Tauranga team. Photo / Supplied
BOP_XMAS_Appeal_logo_2021_OL
The Bay of Plenty Times annual Christmas appeal has been given a second cash boost in its first week - a week the foodbank says has gone "superbly".
The annual six-week appeal was launched last Saturday and aims to raise food and money for the Tauranga Community Foodbank in the lead-up to Christmas.
This week Craigs Investment Partners donated $4000 to the foodbank from the Craigs Community Fund.
Through the national fund, local Craigs branches donate to their communities in lieu of sending out gifts at Christmas.
A Giving Committee established in each Craigs branch liaises with its local community foundation to choose a local recipient.
Craigs employee Hamish Coleman is on the national committee and local distribution committee that decides which charities to donate to based on staff feedback.
Throughout the year employees can decide to donate a portion of their pay to the fund and the company's head office matches this. At the end of the year, this is distributed.
"One of the criteria we look at is those in the greatest need. Foodbank has done an amazing job for a long time," Coleman said.
This is the second year Craigs has donated to the foodbank.
"It's great because for people having a tough period not just before but after Christmas."
Craigs had donated to 12 charities in total focusing on needs such as food, counselling and homelessness.
"It wasn't hard to find half a dozen charities that were really worthy."
Tauranga Community Foodbank. Photo / George Novak
The cash is the second big donation to the appeal after Colliers International Bay of Plenty donated $1500 to the foodbank and announced it was considering it, and six other charities, for an extra $10,000 boost.
Who's this sharp looking bunch? The next line up for The Apprentice NZ?
It's actually some of the good folk of Craigs...
Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said the first week of the appeal had gone "superbly".
"What we're finding is every year people are anticipating the appeal and people get in contact straight away. They are ready to go and it's become part of their annual planning.
"Businesses are getting more prepared for this time of year and doing a lot more charitable donations and allowing staff to have input in where that goes."
She said the donations meant everything to the charity.
"We can already look at what's happening in the next month or two. The price of some food has gone up and it gives us certainty the dollars are going to be there to buy food."
Goodwin said the cash donations would be used to buy food for parcels and a portion of it would be used for special meat for families either in extreme hardship or who had been working on their financial situation.
Tauranga Community Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin. Photo / George Novak
She expected to see more food donations rolling in from next week as she was already aware of businesses collecting for the cause.
More than 16,000 people have needed help from the Tauranga Community Foodbank this year and a record amount of food has been given to those in need.
This included 8897 children, which worked out to about 200,000 meals.
Last year's Christmas foodbank appeal raised a record $190,990 - including a last-minute $30,000 donation from Tauranga company Synergy Technologies, on top of massive generosity from the community and local businesses.
A total of $132,000 in cash and 29,495 food items worth $58,990 was raised by the appeal's final day.
