Christmas Appeal: Plunket donates to Tauranga Community Foodbank as demand for food from clients increases 13 per cent

Name: Bay of Plenty Times Christmas Appeal 2023
Uploaded: 2023-11-11T06:00:00+13:00
Duration: 76 s
Description: Tauranga Community Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin says demand has increased dramatically and the Christmas appeal is vital.

By Cira Olivier

Multimedia Journalist, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·

13 Dec, 2023 09:00 PM3 mins to read

Tauranga Community Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin says demand has increased dramatically and the Christmas appeal is vital.

Plunket helps care for some of the most vulnerable in the community, and a lot of that support has been from the Tauranga Community Foodbank with referrals up 13 per cent on last year.

Now, it’s giving back to those who help so many of its families.

The Bay of Plenty Times’ six-week annual Christmas Appeal for the foodbank is in its second-to-last week.

Whānau Āwhina Plunket Tauranga staff had been collecting donations for two weeks and ended up donating a large container of non-perishable foods such as pasta, cereal, and tinned food, clinical leader Sandy Shanly said.

Plunket was one of the foodbank’s referral partners and staff referred people for grocery support, which often included items for babies and young children, and the referrals were up 13 per cent on last year.

She said an increasing number of families were needing support this year compared with previous years, with “very little money left for food” after paying rent and bills.

“There is no let-up, families are doing it tough in the lead-up to Christmas,” she said.

“We are truly grateful for the Tauranga Community Foodbank and those who give generously so we can pay it forward to the families we support raising the next generation.”

Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said the circle of support “truly makes my heart sing”.

“This is what community is all about.”

This year has brought “record demand” as the organisation spent an average of $20,012 a month on staple foods, compared with $14,758 a month the year before.

The foodbank hasn’t been able to include snack foods for families such as two-minute noodles, muesli bars, chips or crackers in the average of 33 parcels sent out each day.

Cash donations were also welcomed because they meant the foodbank could buy items when it needed them.

In last year’s six-week appeal, $256,471 was donated — $167,758.84 in cash and $88,712 in food donations, with each item valued at $2.50. It was the highest amount raised in the appeal’s history. The second highest was a total of $254,416, donated in 2020.