The bus is cruising around Rotorua collecting items for the Salvation Army foodbank.
The Rotorua business community has shown generous support for The Hits Fill the Bus Campaign, donating essentials, treats and toys to the Salvation Army Foodbank when many are struggling.
For the past eight years, a CityRide bus has driven across Rotorua from 7am to 5.30pm, calling on businesses, schools and residents to donate food items to the foodbank ahead of Christmas as part of The Hits Rotorua’s Fill the Bus campaign.
Fill the Bus is part of the six-week Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal, run in conjunction with the Rotorua Weekender and The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM.
In 2021, Fill the Bus collected 6597 cans and food items valued at $13,194.
Paul Hickey, Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell, Rotorua Salvation Army volunteer Raukura Kapa, and Salvation Army Rotorua corps officer Hana Seddon. Photo / Shauni James
This year, Rotorua Lakes Council staff, employees from Scion, Flexfitness, New Zealand Post, First National Real Estate and Countdown Rotorua were among those lining up outside their premises with carts, boxes and handfuls of donations for the foodbank.
The Christmas tree at Rotorua Lakes Council was surrounded by donations for Fill the Bus.
Mayor Tania Tapsell said every day council staff were out there serving the community, so it was great to have another way to give to those in need, especially at a special time like Christmas.
“We are just over the moon to hear that this year the Rotorua community has really turned out for those in need, and the generosity from our students especially is pleasing to see.”
Scion people and safety general manager Cameron Lucich (left), The Hits Rotorua’s Paul Hickey, Scion employee Sarah Davies and the Grinch at Fill the Bus. Photo / Mead Norton
Scion people and safety general manager Cameron Lucich said it was “thrilled” to support the appeal.
“The work that the Salvation Army does is really important and a lot of our people are really community-minded,” Lucich told the Rotorua Daily Post.
“We know that Christmas is hard for a lot of families so we just wanted to do something to make things a little bit easier and give everyone a bit of joy this year.”
Lucich said he was proud to see the staff go out of their way to buy presents and donations for Scion’s contribution.
Scion health and safety representative Stephanie Weal said everyone had been encouraged to donate things they would enjoy receiving at Christmas, including treats.
Image 1 of 27: Westbrook School. Fill the Bus. Photo / Shauni James.
Vanessa Fisher, of New Zealand Post, was first to drop off donations at the New World stop yesterday morning.
”Everyone chipped in,” Fisher told the Rotorua Daily Post.
Flexfitness trainer Kellyanne Fitzell brought a big, red box of donations to the Lynmore Junction stop.
She and her colleagues wanted to “do our part” to give back to the community.
ChemDry Rotorua owner and manager Amanda Steer brought a box of donations to the Central Mall public drop-off. Steer’s dad had passed away recently and he had lots of food stored, so she had gone through the items and included some of those.
Hamish Falconer from First National Real Estate dropped off donations at the Countdown Rotorua public drop-off and said it was awesome to see the community come together to support locals and wanted to give a big shout-out to the foodbank for the work they did.
