The Bay of Plenty Times Weekend watched as a standard grocery package for a family of seven was prepared by the Tauranga Community Foodbank.
Rest assured – your food and cash donations are going a long, long way.
The Bay of Plenty Times Weekend watched yesterday as a standard grocery package for a family of seven was prepared by the Tauranga Community Foodbank.
Along with the standard canned goods, there was bread and milk, two cartons of eggs, frozen sausages and mincemeat, potatoes, pasta, tooth brushes, toilet paper and much, much more.
There were treats like a sticky date cake, frozen pies, microwave popcorn, biscuits, crackers, muesli bars and even some chips and Coca Cola.
On top of all that, foodbank clients can add as many fresh fruit and veges as they want.
Priced up, the parcel came to about $125 worth of groceries if bought from a supermarket at sale prices.
Looking at everything going into the cardboard box on the table, there actually appeared to be a lot more than what the average shopper could buy with that amount of money.
Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said the organisation buys bulk food and then breaks it down into smaller amounts.
"The dollar that's given to us definitely goes further than it would for the average person."
As the parcel was being prepared, foodbank volunteers standing nearby were busy re-packaging bags upon bags of pasta and sugar.
In this particular parcel there were broken-down bags of rice, curry powder, milk powder and sugar as well as plastic containers of peanut butter, garlic and jam.
A special baking pack provided bags of flour, icing sugar, baking powder, dried fruit, nuts and castor sugar.
Tauranga Community Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin. Photo/file
Goodwin said the foodbank receives a lot of support and gets good deals from supermarkets and suppliers.
"A lot of thought does go into what goes in the foodbank's food parcels and the feedback we're getting from our clients is that it is really useful," she said.
Goodwin said volunteers follow parcel prescriptions to make sure there is enough food for each family.
The parcels are meant to last for at least three days and she said the foodbank is aiming to make them as nutritious as possible.
"With the help of Good Neighbour, we've been able to have pretty much an unlimited supply of fruit and vegetables and we don't ration it. So people coming in here can really boost their supplies with fresh fruit and veges."
Meal ideas are also provided with each parcel so people can identify ways to put the food together.
"It's not meant to be long term; it is just to get them by."
How the Bay of Plenty Times Christmas Appeal is tracking compared to last year Cash donations: *So far this year – $28,738.60 *This time last year – $24,532.00 Food donations: *So far this year – 10,032 (valued at $2 each) *This time last year – 7743 (valued at $2 each) Totals: *So far this year –$48,802.60 *This time last year – $40,018
Tauranga to Fill the Bus on Tuesday
The Bay of Plenty Times and The Hits radio station will be travelling around Tauranga in a Bayhopper bus on December 12 collecting donations from businesses and members of the public for the Tauranga Community Foodbank.
Fill the Bus will be covered live on the day and there is a $500 food and beverage voucher from CBK - Craft Bar and Kitchen to award.
Has your workplace been collecting donations for the foodbank? Send an email to scott.yeoman@bayofplentytimes.co.nz to be added to the Fill the Bus route.
