Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal: How Salvation Army foodbank works

With hundreds of donations and hundreds of mouths to feed this Christmas, the Rotorua Salvation Army is carefully managing its foodbank to prevent waste.

This year's Salvation Army State of our Communities report, released in September, showed Rotorua foodbank distribution had risen dramatically in response to Covid-19.

Demand more than doubled with fewer than 250 parcels given out in December last year, between 250 and 500 in March this year and more than 500 in June.

The holiday period is just a month away now and the foodbank team wants to make the most of every donation.

"You might get some fresh stuff which has a shorter expiry, or you might have something that will last a couple of years," Rotorua Salvation Army corps officer Kylie Overbye told the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend.

"So we have a team of volunteers and we've also got a foodbank co-ordinator who oversees the stock rotation."

Rotorua Salvation Army corps officer Kylie Overbye. Photo / File

When food arrives it has to be carefully sorted before it goes into the bank.

"The stuff that's going to expire sooner, that always goes out first."

Donations come from a variety of sources throughout the year.

"There are a number of food distribution people who send food our way and they are kind of our mainstay. Then we do have businesses and groups coming on board, who might want to do a fundraiser or a collection.

"And then sometimes we get people who make monetary donations towards the foodbank to purchase the things that we need. They generally come from the public. And we also get people donating online."

Food donated to the Salvation Army. Photo / File

Then when someone in need comes in, a member of the Salvation Army's social support team will speak with them first to ensure the charity covers off everything needed.

"Then their basic details are handed over to a foodbank worker ... How many people are in the family, how many children and their age groups and they put a food parcel together ... They might need nappies, or they might need baby food."

The State of our Communities report writers also surveyed more than 182 people in Rotorua in July and August.

Their answers showed the biggest impacts of Covid-19 for residents were job losses, income problems and downturns in the local economy and this led to heightened mental health stress and anxiety.

More than 35 per cent of survey participants had experienced some form of income loss - either job loss, reduced hours or their partner or spouse had lost their job.

Locals who hadn't been impacted financially by Covid-19 expressed their concern for family members at risk of losing employment or income.