KEY POINTS:
A charity currently feeding 7000 school children weekly has 12,000 more children on its waiting list.
The numbers are "staggering and a national shame" KidsCan director Julie Helson said.
The charity, which also runs Raincoats for Kids and Shoes for Kids programmes, supported over 20,000 children throughout New Zealand.
KidsCan, founded in August 2005, helps 85 low decile schools and has 72 more on its waiting list.
"The problem is getting worse and most New Zealanders don't know what the actual problem is or how bad it is."
Ms Helson estimated KidsCan could solve the problem of hungry children at schools, with $500,000 funding.
"We have the systems and processes in place, we just don't have the money. This week alone, another eight schools approached us."
The charity's current funding comes from corporate sponsors and fundraising events. It does not receive any government funding.
With money from cash sponsors, such as Warehouse Stationery and Conferenz, KidsCan purchases products at cost from companies, including Tasti and Adidas.
Actress Miriama Smith is raising funds for KidsCan while on the Dancing with the Stars television competition.
"I do believe a collective approach is needed. It would be nice to have some government funding but corporates should get involved," Ms Helson said.
If children continue to go hungry at school, they will not learn and will fall into the same cycle their parents are in, Ms Helson said.
"It's about the basic things these kids need to keep on living. The underlying social issues someone else can deal with, we're just part of the jigsaw."
KidsCan delivers non-perishable food products to schools once a term and the teachers have access to them. When students are hungry, the teachers give them enough food to get through the school day.
"In one case in Rotorua, a little girl and her brother came to school and hadn't eaten in 24 hours. The girl was in tears and the teacher gave them both food and some to take home and then got the family help to sort themselves out.
"There's always an element of families wasting money and neglecting responsibility, but most simply can't afford the cost of living. With the rises in prices, families are running out of food. It runs in cycles depending on when the parents get paid."
The discreet nature of the KidsCan programmes has had a "positive spin-off", Ms Helson said.
"The jackets [from the raincoats programme] have the All Blacks and Adidas logos on them and kids are proud to wear them. They don't see it as charity."
KidsCan has given out 17,000 coats and have another 10,000 to give this year. Nearly 6000 pairs of socks and shoes have already been handed out. This year it will be giving out warm beanies as well.
"Schools have also requested that we provide basic hygiene items: soap, toothpaste and shampoo, things we take for granted that some families can't afford. We are looking into that."
When National Party leader John Key visited McGehan Close in Mt Albert, Auckland in February 2007, he said it represented New Zealand's "underclass".
Ms Helson said the problem was briefly publicised then but had got worse since.
"In the past, teachers had to turn a blind eye because there was nothing they could do about it [starving children], but it can be knocked on the head. All we need is more funding."
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