This year the joint Christmas party of Crowe Horwath and Modern Office was about more than just mingling, drinking and eating - it was about giving.
For the first time the two Tauranga businesses asked employees and clients coming to the party to bring along a non-perishable food item to fill up to two large Christmas boxes.
The collected food would go to Good Neighbour to help those in need in the holiday season.
"It's a really great cause and a change to support them and give back to people not as fortunate," said Michelle Malcolm, lead principal of accounting firm Crowe Horwath.
Both they and Modern Office, an office supply store, wanted to help tackle poverty at Christmas and planned to make the project a yearly tradition.
John Paine from Good Neighbour came to the party to collect the food and was happy to see so much collected.
"It's going to be really helpful for the charity over the Christmas break," he said.
Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless and Western Bay mayor Garry Webber were there to support the project.