Empty shelves at the Tauranga Community Foodbank. Photo / Mead Norton
Empty shelves at the Tauranga Community Foodbank. Photo / Mead Norton
Tauranga leaders are calling on the public to donate to the foodbank as Christmas approaches - with the city's commission chairwoman saying food price inflation is putting pressure on parents' ability to feed their families.
This comes as the Bay of Plenty Times' six-week Christmas Appeal launched on Saturday, with data showing demand for the Tauranga Community Foodbank has risen by 28 per cent this year.
Figures reveal as of October 31, just over 19,600 people from 6623 city households sought help from the Tauranga Community Foodbank - an increase of about 4000 compared to the year before.
Last year's six-week Christmas Appeal saw $163,082 donated - $112,000 in cash, $24,695 in food donations and $1350 in supermarket gift cards. It was the second-highest amount raised in the appeal's 12-year history. In 2020, $190,990 was donated.
Tauranga commission chairwoman Anne Tolley said the increase of people turning to the foodbank for support confirmed that many people in the community were "struggling to make ends meet".
Tauranga commission chair Anne Tolley. Photo / Mead Norton
"This is the human face of the cost of living crisis and it's something we should all be concerned about."
She said food price inflation was putting pressure on parents' ability to feed their families, and encouraged those who could afford it to donate to the appeal.
"With Christmas fast approaching, it's timely to think about how we can help to lift each other up, so that people in need can also enjoy the festive season.
"If you can afford to share some seasonal cheer, please contribute to this year's Christmas Appeal."
Western Bay Mayor James Denyer said people should donate to their local foodbank as a way to help the more "vulnerable" community members.
He said all foodbanks were a "vital source of support to people who find themselves in difficulty and struggling to cope".
"This can happen unexpectedly through ill health, relationship issues or financial hardship generally. A foodbank is able to provide the necessary support and breathing space to get through a difficult time and help them get back on their feet."
Western Bay of Plenty mayor James Denyer. Photo / Alan Gibson
Reacting to the foodbank figures, Tauranga's Dame Susan Devoy - squash legend, former Race Relations Commissioner and recent Celebrity Treasure Island competitor - said it was really sad the situation was "getting worse, not better".
"It breaks my heart to think that children are going hungry - and I imagine it must be very difficult for families to go to an organisation like that for help.
"For some of those families where it was a struggle before it must be horrendous now."
Dame Susan Devoy. Photo / George Novak
She said the Christmas Appeal served as a reminder about the importance of donating to organisations supporting those "on your own back doorstep".
"It's sad we live in times where people have to rely on organisations like the foodbank - but it's really important that those that can support do."
Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell said the need for food support in the region was "significant", with many families "under acute pressure as the cost of living crisis worsens".
He believed it was an "indictment on our society" that 10,000 children needed support from the foodbank.
"We need to appreciate that some people have needs that are unable to be met - and as a community it's fantastic if we can come together and contribute," he said.
"Anything people can to do contribute - even if it's just a little bit - will greatly benefit a desperate family at the other end of it."
Bay of Plenty Regional councillor Matemoana McDonald photographed in 2019. Photo / Andrew Warner
Bay of Plenty regional councillor Matemoana McDonald told the Bay of Plenty Times that donations did not need to "break the bank", saying even giving one canned item could make a difference if enough people got behind the cause.
"It doesn't have to be a huge contribution but something adds to the number if we all do it."
McDonald said she was "totally supportive" of the kaupapa, describing the number of children receiving help from the foodbank as "depressing and abysmal".
"There is a Government responsibility - but I think we should also place a responsibility on ourselves when we have the ability to provide that help."
SociaLink general manager Liz Davies said struggling families being able to access the foodbank "eases the pressure a little" and ensured they could get their hands on nutritious food.
She described Tauranga as a "very generous community", saying it was "often those with little that give the most".
"Perhaps because they know how hard it is to struggle with little money and many competing priorities. I encourage everyone, as I certainly will, to donate food or money to make the lives of many people just a little bit easier."
Tauranga-based Labour list MP Jan Tinetti, who was the former principal at Merivale School, said she had visited the foodbank "a number of times" and knew first-hand the important role it played in the community.
"The Covid crisis and now the cost of living pressures that we have faced over this year will certainly have had an impact on people's ability to make ends meet."
She said while Government had brought in measures to assist, the fact that the community came together to support others during difficult times was "incredible".
"I would encourage the people of Tauranga to give generously so that our fellow residents can have a good Christmas."
