Christmas appeal: Tauranga gym calls for healthy food donations

A Tauranga gym is helping out the Tauranga Community Foodbank in a very appropriate manner by gathering donations of healthy food.

Anytime Fitness on Chapel St is asking its 900 members to bring in donations of healthy food items such as granola bars and cereal to give to the foodbank.

Membership consultant and team leader of the gym, Monica Mayry, said the gym staff wanted to help out the foodbank as families were more in need during the festive season.

"We have some fantastic members in the gym. We wanted to do something to come together as a community and do some good."

The gym borrowed a shopping cart from Briscoes and was slowly filling it up.

Miss Mayry said she hoped that by the time the drive finished on December 9, a few trolley-loads would have been collected.

"We've got about one cart filled up right now and we're hoping to get more. We've got 900 members so I think we can do a bit better."

Miss Mayry said staff were asking members for donations of non-perishable items with long shelf lives, with a preference for healthy food.

"We've got a lot of soups, granola bars, cereal; a big mix of everything really."

While the gym had not done a can drive before, it had participated in other community initiatives.

It had partnered up with Pillans Point School to do fun runs and was going into Otumoetai College to support them with other events, Miss Mayry said.

"We're trying to get out into the community more."