Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Editorial: Let's dig deep so foodbank can spread festive cheer

By Scott Inglis
Bay of Plenty Times·
8 Nov, 2013 09:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

On October 29, I had one of my most satisfying conversations of the year.

I was with Tauranga Community Foodbank chairman Mike Baker, confirming to him that the Bay of Plenty Times would be holding a Christmas Appeal to raise food and money for the organisation for the third year in a row.

As editor of the Western Bay's leading multimedia organisation, I have to make some tough decisions - and they're not always popular.

So it is pleasing to be able to make a decision that will help people who find themselves struggling to feed their families.

More than $120,000 has been raised in food and cash for the foodbank during the past two appeal campaigns, which is a staggering and heartwarming figure.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It is proof there are thousands of generous locals who give what they can at this time of the year. I have participated in street collections the past two years and have been surprised at how generous some people are despite it being obvious they are far from wealthy.

This year's appeal, like the previous two, will run for six weeks, ending on Friday, December 20. The Bay of Plenty Times has kicked off the campaign by donating $1000.

We will be running street collections with the foodbank. Each donated food item will be valued at $1.50.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

We also invite schools and businesses to collect food and make it a fun event.

For school children, collecting food items for such a worthy cause can teach them the important lesson that not everyone is as well off as their family, or that there are other children like them whose parents find it difficult to pay for the groceries, and sometimes they have to go hungry.

For businesses, it can be a great morale booster.

Every organisation that takes part will receive credit in the paper for their efforts if they so wish.

Discover more

Editorial: Act now to end dog bite trauma

10 Nov 08:00 PM

Editorial: Busy Strand tempts diners

11 Nov 08:00 PM

Funeral home happy to help appeal

13 Nov 06:53 PM

We reported on the front page on Tuesday this week that the boom times were returning to Tauranga, with increased business confidence, retail spending and new house builds.

This is welcome news for our local economy, which has taken its share of the financial hit over the past few years. But this will not cascade down to the dinner tables of some families who often - through no fault of their own - find it difficult to feed hungry mouths.

The foodbank gives out about 7000 food parcels each year, which works out to be up to 30 a day. Recipients have a rigorous process to go through to ensure only those in genuine need actually receive food parcels.

It's a number I find hard to fathom. Thirty a day shows there is a real problem in our community with families living below the bread line.

But we can do something about it. We can dig deep and help those around us. We can make a difference.

Giving feels good. I have brought bags of food from my home to add to the collection during the past two appeals and it is good to know I have helped someone, even in a small way.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Even giving a can or two can help make all the difference.

You will read plenty about the foodbank appeal over the coming six weeks.

I hope you can help us help those who really need it.

The other campaign we are running is our search for the Bay of Plenty Times Person of the Year 2013.

We launched this last Saturday and have assembled a judging panel comprising the 2011 winner, Tauranga Detective Sergeant Pete Blackwell, who runs the annual CIB charity auction, and Anne Wyatt, the wife of last year's winner, fund-raising leader Peter Wyatt, who lost his battle with cancer afterwards, plus myself.

We are seeking nominations from readers as we compile a list of who might be worthy of the title.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The criteria is easy: anyone you think has made a real difference to local charities or fundraising, has achieved outstanding success in their chosen business, career or sporting pursuit, or who has demonstrated courageous heroic actions.

This is a good opportunity for Bay individuals, businesses and other organisations to consider who deserves extra recognition.

It was great to be able to award Pete Blackwell and Peter Wyatt the titles over the past two years. Now we need to find the next winner and celebrate their success.

The full details are on page A3 today.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

Red and black: How Whaka plans to seize rugby glory

Bay of Plenty Times

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit

Premium
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Red and black: How Whaka plans to seize rugby glory
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

Red and black: How Whaka plans to seize rugby glory

Whakarewarewa faces Tauranga Sports in the Baywide Premier Men’s final on Saturday.

17 Jul 12:12 AM
Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit
Bay of Plenty Times

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit

16 Jul 09:04 PM
Premium
Premium
'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms

16 Jul 09:03 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP