Christmas Appeal: Tauranga elders give back to foodbank

Greerton Gardens Retirement Village have collected food for the Tauranga Community Foodbank. Pictured are (from left) village president Paul Moffatt, village manager Judith Gilmore, Eileen Waite, Bunty Moffatt. Photo / George Novak

Greerton Gardens Retirement Village residents dug deep to collect two boxes of food items for the Tauranga Community Foodbank.

The donations from the village add to the $31,530 in cash and food items donated to the Bay of Plenty Times Christmas Appeal for the Tauranga Community Foodbank so far.

The village residents have been taking part in the annual Christmas Appeal for about three years now and this year donated two boxes of food.

Village president Paul Moffatt said a number of individual residents had also made cash donations.

All 35 residents took part in the collection in some way.

Christmas is a time for giving

Judith Gilmore, Greerton Gardens Retirement Village manage

"It's not as if we're rolling in dough," Mr Moffatt said. "We're just pleased to be able to help in a little way."

Mr Moffatt said notices had been put up around the village with a list of items the foodbank were asking for to add to Christmas food parcels.

The boxes the village collected were filled with a whole range of food items including Christmas treats, tea bags, cans, rice, Weetbix, salmon, pickles, crackers, chutney, jelly and Christmas pies.

Fellow resident Eileen Waite said the villagers all looked out for one another and were caring people.

"Our people seem to be willing to help the needy. We were just asking for what people were able to give.

"Who knows, you might need to use the foodbank some day."

Village manager Judith Gilmore said the residents were thinking of others at this time of year.

She said the foodbank was a helpful resource for people in need.

"Christmas is a time for giving. We're a generous lot year round, but at Christmas this is something extra we can do.

Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said a number of retirement villages supported the foodbank in different ways throughout the year.

"It's nice to get support from different sectors of the community."