Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said every year the Bay of Plenty Times had supported the foodbank with its appeal, donations had increased.
"That in itself says a lot about the awareness the appeal is raising with the community about what the foodbank's needs are.
"The cash donations make it easier for us to continue to provide the level of support that we are, and maintain that. Especially with there being an increase in need."
Mrs Goodwin said people had put a lot of thought into their donations and many had made the effort to find out what particular items the foodbank was in need of.
This resulted in extra donations of items like pasta sauces, baking supplies and sanitary products.
The foodbank reopened its doors on Wednesday after closing for the holiday period and Mrs Goodwin said it had already been busier than usual for that time of year.
"I think it's partially down to the way benefits were paid over the stat holidays which made it harder for some people to budget.
"It's also in line with the increases in people visiting us that we've seen recently."
Mrs Goodwin expected the foodbank to remain busy in 2017 as housing issues continued to impact Tauranga residents.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the housing shortage and increasing rents is what is contributing to the higher need for this service.
"In saying that, the positive side of that means we have the opportunity to link people in with other services such as Tauranga Budget Advisory Service.
"It is once again a matter of community groups working together to do what we do best and making people aware of what's available out there to help them."
Looking ahead to this year, Mrs Goodwin said the foodbank had everything it needed for now. Shortages would usually begin in April or May.
"That's when we start noticing it and that's when we'll have to kick in and buy some of the staple items. It also means the contents of the parcels will start to reflect that, with fewer extra items and mainly just staple items."
This year, the foodbank also had the new challenge of paying rent for their commercial premises - when they were based at Dive Cres, the building was council-owned.
"That's our big challenge this year but we're aware of it and we'll get our heads down. We've got a great board of trustees and we can work together to find a solution."