Sisters Asha and Milla Reid are sacrificing their advent calendars this year and instead have chosen to donate cans to the Tauranga Community Foodbank.
Asha, 9, and Milla, 6, jumped at the chance to do something nice for others over Christmas.
"Instead of having an advent calendar and taking the chocolates out every morning, we're choosing tin food from the pantry and putting it in a box," Asha said.
"When it gets close to Christmas, we're going to donate it to the foodbank."
Asha said the food they donated would be given to people who did not have much food, or money to buy food, and needed to go to the foodbank for help.
"At Christmas, we can help people who don't have much food to have a better Christmas."
Asha said the idea came from their mum Lou, but when she suggested it, "we were both like 'yes, yes'".
She said she and Milla had been putting away spaghetti and baked beans so far.
The girls were also hoping to organise a mufti day at their school, with children donating a can to take part.
"I'm really excited because we're helping other people live by giving them food to help them survive.
"I'm missing having chocolates, but it's a nice thing to do for them."