Kāpiti Community Foodbank shelves are full after Lions Food Drive

Some of the items from the Lions Food Drive.

Kāpiti Community Foodbank has six months' worth of supplies thanks to the annual Lions Food Drive.

A record 600+ banana boxes of food were collected during the day-long campaign on Saturday, November 27.

Lions members had earlier distributed pamphlets seeking food donations before the collection at the front of people's homes.

Food items were taken to the Coast Community Church, which offered their premises for free, where the food was sorted at an incoming area and then moved into an outgoing area.

Food bank manager Kerry Lovell thanked everyone involved in the food drive which took place between Paekākāriki and Waikanae.

"It was an incredibly successful day.

"There were probably up to 90 volunteers who arrived during the day. We started at 9.30am and went through until 5pm."

The amount collected has meant the food bank has enough stock to last it until the Rotary food drive in May.

It continues to be a busy time at the food bank which is located in temporary premises inside the former Co-operative Bank building in Rimu Rd, Paraparaumu.

Twenty-eight people clients signed up and 168 food parcels were distributed in November.

"What I've noticed is that people have been doing it hard for quite a while," Lovell reflected. "It's like they've come to their wit's end.

"I've had quite a few of these new clients actually say to me that they haven't eaten for a day or two, and they didn't know what to do, so they finally resorted to the food bank.

"I think inflation is hitting people. We're not seeing beneficiaries - we're seeing families.

"Even the volunteers are saying they're noticing the change of client."

On a brighter note, the food bank has assorted a range of Christmas goodie parcels, from the Lions Food Drive, to give to clients.

Some of the Christmas parcels. Photo / David Haxton

"A lot of people say they have nothing for Christmas."

And Kāpiti Arise Church is giving the food bank "50 big heart boxes for Christmas".

Meanwhile, the food bank's new building fundraising target of $150,000 has been met but more financial donations are needed.

"We are very aware that the building project will increase in overall cost due to the interruption in the building materials supply chain," food bank chairman David Edwards said.

"We expect the final funding needs to be in excess of $200,000.

"There will also be a time delay as the process of obtaining a building permit runs on. The appeal to the community continues."

A forthcoming donation will come after an online auction featuring a range of 11 creative recycled toilet roll holders.

The toilet roll holders auction is spearheaded by Paraparaumu firm Peter Jackson Plumbing who wanted to give back to a charity.

Sonya and Peter Jackson with a variety of creative toilet roll holders that are up for auction to raise money for the Kāpiti Community Foodbank.

The auction, which closes on Wednesday at 7.30pm, is via Trade Me, just search toilet roll holder auction

And a Givealittle page has also been set up to boost the donation total [plumbers get creative for a cause]. The page closes on December 20.

Edwards hoped a relocatable classroom, which has been secured by the food bank, could be on site in Hinemoa St in December, permit permitting.

"It is not an ideal time of the year to be undertaking such a project."

A lot of work would be needed to fit out the building to food bank requirements.

The food bank has negotiated a 10-year lease on the site meaning a secure future.