Tauranga Boys' College principal Andrew Turner and student Joshua Perfect, 14, with the school's foodbank donations. Photo / Zoe Hunter
Tauranga Boys' College principal Andrew Turner and student Joshua Perfect, 14, with the school's foodbank donations. Photo / Zoe Hunter
Deodorant, shaving foam, shampoo, toothpaste, and canned food.
On their own, they are small items - but together they are making a "vital" difference for the Tauranga Community Foodbank.
Tauranga Boys' College students have been fundraising and collecting essential items to give back as part of its annual foodbank appeal from August 16 to 30.
The school's learning needs department organises the schoolwide appeal, collecting, counting, and boxing up the contributions.
The appeal is run as a school house competition with points being awarded for cash donations and non-perishable food items.
As part of the appeal, each student is asked to donate $1 and so far about $2100 has been donated for personal care items including shampoo, deodorant, razors, shaving foam, and toothpaste.
The students are also invited to donate bonus items such as tinned fruit, cereal, and tinned fish.
Student spokesman Joshua Perfect, 14, said some students had visited the Tauranga Community Foodbank and learned it was in need of essential items such as deodorant.
"We are giving back to the community because we think that during Covid a lot of things have changed for people.
"So we just wanted to give back to the community and ask everyone to try and help."
Tauranga Boys' College principal Andrew Turner and student Joshua Perfect, 14, with the school's foodbank donations. Photo / Zoe Hunter
Perfect said it was important for the school to do its part and he said it felt good to be able to help families in need.
This year, the school's staff also donated a pallet of about 1600 tinned goods thanks to Pak'nSave Tauranga on Cameron Rd.
Principal Andrew Turner said the school was all about encouraging and inspiring great men.
"It is a real honour to see our young men contributing back to their community, reminding them of the importance of giving back to a community that has done so much for them.
"This is a little way that we as a school can do something for our community and remind our boys of the importance of just giving a little and doing something beyond themselves."
Last year, the school donated more than 7000 products to the foodbank and it was hoping to do the same again this year.
Tauranga Community Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said the donations were "absolutely vital".
Goodwin said she was grateful to all schools in Tauranga that have donated to the foodbank but Tauranga Boys' College was on a "whole other level".
"They have welcomed our charity and appeal into their curriculum and that has built a really neat relationship."
She said the school's house leaders had been inspired by what the foodbank does, listened to what it needed the most and "most importantly they responded".
"They have really changed what we would have been able to do here."
