Christmas Appeal: Community raises nearly $243k for Tauranga’s foodbank

Tauranga Community Foodbank warehouse manager Jordy Gastmeier, manager Nicki Goodwin and support co-ordinator Halena Pritchard. Photo / Alex Cairns

The Tauranga community has smashed another appeal for the city’s foodbank, bringing in more than $240,000 of cash and food donations, despite the cost-of-living crisis.

The Bay of Plenty Times six-week annual Christmas Appeal for the Tauranga Community Foodbank has ended.

As of 9.30am yesterday, the appeal had raised a preliminary total of $242,768.40. This was broken down into $163,615.90 in cash donations and 31,661 food items, with each item valued at $2.50.

The final figures will be available in the new year.

Last year’s final appeal count resulted in $256,471 being donated - $167,758.84 in cash and $88,712 in food donations, with each item valued at $2.50. It was the highest total raised in the appeal’s history. The second highest was $254,416 donated in 2020.

Goodwin said the cash donations will allow them to buy staple food for the first half of 2024, which was “just fabulous”.

She said the “great” food donations also included lots things outside their budget to purchase so these will be added to parcels in the coming months.

Goodwin was blown away and said the donations from the community have “come as a surprise” given the cost-of-living crisis faced by many.

She said it was “so reassuring to know that people who can contribute have done so”.

“We take great care of all donations and this will purchase the much-needed nutritious food people need.”

The team wanted to express their “sincere thanks” to everyone who contributed to the appeal.

Volunteers and donors from the community drive the foodbank to support others in need.

“Food is simply a basic human need and you all have a hand in helping others.”

It’s been a tough year.

Throughout the six-week appeal, the foodbank helped more than 1240 households - an increase of 100 compared to the same time last year.

Goodwin said the sharp increase in demand started in August 2022, trending upwards since then.

“I am hoping that we have reached the peak and will see things stabilise in the coming months. I certainly don’t expect to see a decrease in need anytime soon.”

The volunteers at the Tauranga Community Foodbank after the 2023 Christmas Appeal. Photo / Alex Cairns

This year, the foodbank has helped 8295 households with food support.

The foodbank was also spending an average of just over $20,000 per month on staple foods compared to about $14,800 the year before.

They saw more new faces, including many who worked full time, families on two incomes and homeowners with mortgages. There had also been more people aged 65 years and older.

People were also seeking longer-term support, rather than a parcel to help get them through a tough couple of weeks, and the foodbank’s store, open about a year, had helped meet that need.

The demand seen over the past year had surprised those on the frontline, with foodbank volunteer Shirley MacLean saying “the size of the help that’s needed has been a shock, especially around this time of year”.

Goodwin said housing costs had been the biggest driver of demand increases over the past five years, now it was the rising cost of living behind the spike.

Tauranga Community Foodbank warehouse manager Jordy Gastmeier, manager Nicki Goodwin, and support coordinator Halena Pritchard. Photo / Alex Cairns

Food prices have climbed steadily since March 2021 as New Zealanders grappled with a cost-of-living crisis. The latest data from Stats NZ, showed food prices are 6 per cent higher than they were a year ago despite prices having fallen for three consecutive months.

The fruit and vegetables group was the largest contributor to the monthly fall, driven by seasonal price drops for tomatoes, capsicums and strawberries.

Centrix’s latest Credit Indicator report revealed there are 19,200 mortgage accounts past due in October, up 25 per cent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, Trade Me rental figures showed in the year to October rental listings in Tauranga dropped 15 per cent while median rents jumped from $650 to $680.

Despite the cost-of-living crisis, donations streamed in week after week.

Some of the generous cash donations include $20,000 from Hillsdene Charitable Trust, $15,000 from the Port of Tauranga, $10,000 from Synergy Technologies, three donations of $5000 each, and $4000 from Craigs Investment Partners.

The appeal has seen people thinking of fun ways to get involved, like the Greenwood Park Village Rollers - a group of people on mobility scooters - who collected 26 bags of items for the third year in a row, and those who are supported by the foodbank giving back.

The Greenwood Park Village "Rollers" donated bags full of food for the foodbank. Photo / Alex Cairns

It has also seen large-scale community events raise thousands for those in need, including the 536 items donated at The Hits Christmas Movie in the Park, and the nearly 8000 items donated to the foodbank from the Emergency Services Food Drive in the Lakes and Mount Maunganui.

Bay of Plenty Times editor Scott Inglis said the amount raised was amazing.

“The community has been so generous in supporting the cause. Thank you to everyone who has donated food, money or their time to help this crucial service.

“Your support has helped make Christmas and the months ahead better for so many people in need.”

Cira Olivier is a social issues and breaking news reporter for NZME Bay of Plenty. She has been a journalist since 2019.