Vege volunteers feed needy families through foodbank

Donnas Mitchell and Mayu Miyanami volunteer at the Bayfair Community Garden growing produce for the Tauranga Community Foodbank. Photo / John Borren

A dozen volunteers get their hands dirty two mornings every week growing and harvesting vegetables for the Tauranga Community Foodbank.

The group, Bayfair Community Garden, provides the foodbank, the recipient of this year's Bay of Plenty Christmas Appeal, with food all year round. Organiser Jo Stock said the group had harvested 20 banana boxes of vegetables for the foodbank last week and had donated 70 boxes in the last three weeks. Volunteers worked from 8.30am to about 10.30am on Tuesdays and Fridays harvesting and planting everything from capsicum, lettuces and passionfruit to tomatoes, leeks and carrots.

Volunteers were able to take a small bag of vegetables home after each morning's work but the rest went to the foodbank, Ms Stock said.

The garden started off as a small community project 20 years ago but soon so much food was being grown the group looked around for something to do with it. "They [the foodbank] wanted it so we started supplying it. It's great," she said.

"You get a lot of people who knock it. I don't give a damn. If there are kids that are hungry, if there are people in emergencies that need food they've got somewhere to go.

"You go and sit there in reception for a couple of hours. They are so embarrassed and ashamed and humble, and so glad and relieved they can get food for their family.

"There's a need.

"When you say, 'We picked this all fresh for you this morning', they cry," she said.