Tauranga Lyceum Club vice president Marion Chandler (left) and president Ann Roberts. Photo / Andrew Warner
Tauranga Lyceum Club vice president Marion Chandler (left) and president Ann Roberts. Photo / Andrew Warner
Almost $80,000 has been raised for Tauranga’s foodbank as the Bay of Plenty Times Christmas Appeal reaches its halfway point.
As of Friday morning, the Tauranga Community Foodbank had received $70,700 in cash donations and 3485 food items - equivalent to $8712.50 worth of food. This brought the total to $79,412.5.
Manager Nicki Goodwin said the amount raised so far was “just epic” and would help the foodbank afford the “record-high” price of food.
At the same point in last year’s appeal the foodbank had received $33,738 in cash donations and 2343 items - $4686 worth, she said.
In 2020, food items were valued at $2 each, this year they are valued at $2.50 due to rising food costs.
“I feel quite overwhelmed as things aren’t easy at present for a lot of people. What this shows me is that we still live in an incredibly generous and unselfish community of people,” she said.
The Bay of Plenty Times launched the appeal on November 12.
Goodwin said every dollar donated was “precious” and would go toward staple items like eggs, meat, milk, spreads, bread and cereal.
This year’s donors included some that contributed “year after year”.
There had been many donations from people they had never met - some “extremely generous” sums. Goodwin wanted to be able to thank everyone individually.
Tauranga Community Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin. Photo / Mead Norton
Goodwin said a stand-out donation had come from a private fund - The Spirit of Macmad - and would provide more than 100 families with meat on Christmas Day.
The amount had to be kept private but it made Goodwin cry - something that did not happen easily.
“It was a donation that brought tears to my eyes. Because that’s something really special for people who we know have had a hard year. It’s really nice to be able to give something extra for Christmas Day.
“It will solve the issue of how we are going to provide people with something special for the Christmas table.”
Another local man transferred $10,000 into their bank account without warning, she said.
Meanwhile, members of an 85-year-old women’s Tauranga club gathered on Friday to bring together non-perishable donations for the foodbank.
Lyceum Club vice president Marion Chandler, who had been a member for the past 22 years, said the women were focusing on donating a “complete meal in a can” and Christmas biscuits.
Chandler said the group wanted to try and make their Christmas “a little bit more cheerful” for those doing it tough and would be dropping two trolley loads of items to the foodbank next week.
“We are very aware of people in our community who are less fortunate and know there is a big need. We feel as a club it’s nice to give back and not give to ourselves at this time of year.”
She believed this year’s appeal was motivating more people to donate - saying it “gives people the inspiration to just do it” while also highlighting the level of need in the community.
Retirees Margaret and David, who dropped off a hefty donation of Weet-Bix and wrapped Belgian chocolates to the NZME office on Cameron Rd, wanted to help as it was “hard to think” about people struggling.
“Donating is an amazing thing to do because it’s hard to think of people struggling through Christmas. So we always try to give something when we can.”
Asked about rising food costs, Margaret said she was “very aware things are most expensive now” and anticipated this Christmas would be more of a struggle than past years.
“Sharing food with family and friends is the essence of Christmas for it to be the special day that it is. And it’s about helping others to have that special day as well.”
Bags of wrapped presents have also been donated to the foodbank. Photo / Mead Norton
Another helpful donation was a $1000 gift voucher from the Cameron Rd Warehouse store’s management team.
Manager Lance Martin said the team was able to decide what charity it wanted to support through funds raised from sales of check-out bags - and agreed the “foodbank was one of the best places to help”.
“As things are tightening up in the economy, this is something the Warehouse could do to help families in the Tauranga area. I know the foodbank is going to be busier than most this year, so any donations will be really helpful,” he said.
The Craigs Investment Partners Tauranga Branch has donated $3000 to the foodbank as part of its Christmas Giving programme helping 86 charities across the country.
In a written statement, Craigs Investment Partners Tauranga Branch said it decided to support the foodbank “knowing that they make a huge difference in our local community reaching a large number of people in need”.
“Increasingly more families are reliant on food parcels and Tauranga Foodbank through their volunteer network can make a big difference on each dollar donated.”
