Christmas Appeal: Tauranga Community Foodbank shares donation wishlist

Cereal was one of the items on the foodbanks donations wishlist this Christmas. Photo / Mead Norton

Tuna, cereal, spreads, and canned spaghetti.

These are some of the items Tauranga Community Foodbank is asking for in the lead-up to Christmas, with the Bay of Plenty Times appeal now in its second week.

Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said they were “running low” on these items right now, however all were “non-negotiables” and put in every food parcel.

“The more donations we get it’s better for our budget.”

They were in need of jam, peanut butter, cornflakes, rice bubbles and also fresh produce, she said.

Data shows demand for the foodbank has risen by 28 per cent this year - with just over 19,600 people from 6623 city households seeking help in the year to October.

This was 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.

Other items on the wishlist included instant noodles, biscuits and crackers.

Goodwin said the foodbank never purchased crackers, biscuits or instant noodles so those items were only given out if they were donated.

It was also looking for “nice to have” items to put Christmas hampers such as chocolate, meat, chips, dip, nuts and any other non-perishable treats.

She said these items were “over and above what they would normally provide”.

The appeal comes as the latest Stats NZ figures revealed the annual food price increase reached a 14-year high of 10.1 per cent - with the cost of fruit and vegetables rising by 17 per cent.

“This was the highest annual increase since November 2008,” Stats NZ consumer prices senior manager Nicola Growden said.

Essential items wishlist: Jam, peanut butter, canned tuna and salmon (95g), canned spaghetti, cornflakes, rice bubbles, instant noodles, fresh produce, biscuits and crackers.

BOP_donate