Opinion: Final push for Christmas appeal donations

Fill the Bus saw 5844 non-perishable food items donated in just 12 hours. Photo / Ben Fraser

Over the past five weeks the Rotorua community has shown generous support through donations to the Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal for the Rotorua Salvation Army foodbank.

But now it's crunch time and there's just one week left in the annual appeal.

Since the appeal launched on November 10 we've been overwhelmed with donations which have turned the Rotorua Daily Post reception into a minefield of non-perishable food.

Businesses have also got behind the cause with places like the Rotorua Lakes Council, First Credit Union and local supermarkets collecting donations from staff and visitors in their offices and receptions.

Other businesses have offered services for donations. Scope Cafe's coffee for a can day saw the cafe go through 9kg of coffee and collect 700 food items.

OGO's locals' day collected between 2600 and 2800 cans when 500 locals rode the OGO over the course of the day.

Then when Skyline offered gondola rides for food donations more than 700 people donated just over 1000 food items.

And who can forget Fill the Bus when 5844 non-perishable food items were donated in just 12 hours.

Last year the appeal collected $80,000 worth of cans and money and a count this week showed we're sitting at 14, 616 items worth $30,646 with one week to go.

Officers at the Salvation Army have told me the appeal isn't about one-upping last year's record fundraising efforts, but today we're calling on the Rotorua community to dig a little deeper.

Buy an extra bag of rice when you're at the supermarket, get rid of the baked beans that have been sitting in the pantry for months and donate them to a good cause.

Everything collected throughout the appeal helps the Rotorua Salvation Army Foodbank feed those in need not just over Christmas but throughout the year.

Tough times can happen to any one of us – at any time and we, as a community, have the power to help those who need it.

It's as easy as donating a bag of rice.