"We do not want anyone to go without on Christmas Day, so we provide emergency food parcels and a present for each child to every family not entitled to a [Work and Income] Special Needs Grant who comes to us for help."
The number of people coming to the mission for help would increase as Christmas approaches and that would put the mission under extreme pressure, Ms Robertson said.
"The mission still desperately needs donations of money, food and presents. The best way people can help is to make a financial donation. The week ahead of us is a mammoth task and we can only do it with the help of the entire Auckland community."
The Auckland City Mission Christmas Appeal runs until the New Year and donations are still desperately needed.
The head of fundraising for the mission, Alexis Sawyers, said the total donated so far was much lower than would have hoped.
The $1.3 million was not for Christmas alone, but also for the first few months of the year.
Ms Sawyers said people they didn't see before Christmas often came in January or February because they had used all their options to provide food and presents at Christmas-time.
The mission had received lots of presents for boys but still needed presents for girls aged 5 and up.
Donations
Donations can be made online at becomesomeonesangel.co.nz or by phoning (09) 303 9200.
• Food parcels distributed by the mission have risen from 7706 in 2009 to 11,349 in 2014
• Emergency housing assessments are up from 37 in 2009 to 899 in 2014
• Value of basic furniture provided to families in desperate need has risen from $130,243 in 2013 to $178,044 in 2014
