Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal: Hume Pine collects more than 200 items

Hume Pine staff were enthusiastic about backing this year's Christmas Appeal. Photo / Supplied

The generosity of the Rotorua community this festive season cannot be understated.

At the start of November the Rotorua Daily Post launched its annual Christmas Appeal for the Salvation Army Foodbank and people, organisations and businesses leapt to get behind the cause.

One of those businesses was Hume Pine which collected an impressive 216 items to donate to the appeal, including non-perishables, toiletries and other gifts.

Sales office manager Donna McCauley said staff were asked to donate whatever they could manage and they were all enthusiastic about getting behind the cause.

"It was really good and I think what was really nice was we got a big selection of food," she said.

"It wasn't just tinned food, people actually went out and purchased a lot of food. There were lots of biscuits and chippies and things like that, which is really cool because that's what Christmas is all about."

McCauley said it was nice to know the donations would go towards helping families have an enjoyable Christmas.

"I think [the staff] enjoyed it, it was really cool. Someone bought a whole lot of toothbrushes and toothpaste - things you don't really think about that are really useful.

Hume Pine staff Wayne Morgan (left), Donna McCauley and Craig Peters. Photo / File

"People actually gave it some thought and purchased things they thought would be needed. It's really cool to see because even some of our staff, with everything that's gone on, are probably struggling a bit as well but it was still well supported."

The Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal aims to help the Salvation Army Foodbank give more than 200 food parcels to families in need this Christmas as well as ensure the shelves are well-stocked for next year.

So far, the Christmas Appeal has seen food and monetary donations worth a total of $44,304 received.

Among those was a donation of enough food for an extra 100 parcels from one Rotorua business, on top of the 212 the Salvation Army Rotorua Hub already had planned.

Of those 100, the Rotorua Hub will give 50 to families in Tokoroa and 50 in Rotorua.

In total, 312 Christmas parcels will be distributed this year.

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