The Tauranga Christmas in the Park event has been cancelled due to strong winds but organisers say they are "blown away" by the community's generosity.
Organiser Rachelle Duffy said despite the cancellation in the days leading up to the event, people donated thousands of food items and Christmas gifts.
"We are still calculating the final total but it's definitely in the thousands," she said.
Mrs Duffy said donations included cans of non-perishables collected at the Little Big Markets and presents collected during the Stuff the Bus tour of Tauranga city streets.
The local business community had been fantastic in supporting the cause, she said.
Donated gifts included a brand-new bike from a Mount Maunganui business and a $1000 cheque from a local real estate firm.
Mount Maunganui Primary students also added to the thousands of presents, as did a woman at Brookfield New World who handed over a $100 gift voucher, she said.
"People have been amazingly generous, and that includes donating household essentials such nappies, tissues, toiletries and sanitary products."
Mrs Duffy said boxes of food and gifts were delivered to Tauranga Community Foodbank, Homes of Hope, Tauranga Women's Refuge and Good Neighbour yesterday.
Due to the awesome response, Mrs Duffy said boxes of food and gifts would also be distributed to Shakti and local community centres, including Arataki, Merivale and Brookfield.
The Stuff the Bus campaign, which More FM helped to promote, worked wonders in getting the word out to the wider community, she said.
"These donations will make a huge difference to so many people. When a mother has only $30 left to spend after paying her bills, the first priority must be food.
"For some it's a stark choice between being able eat or buy their child a Christmas present."
The next Bay of Plenty Times Tauranga Community Foodbank can drive
Bay of Plenty Times staff, together with foodbank volunteers, will hit the streets in Arataki tonightfrom 5.30pm. Volunteers will be visiting as many homes as they can in the Grenada St area for about an hour.
Anyone outside this area wishing to contribute can drop their donation at this time to a waiting volunteer at Arataki Park.