Christmas Appeal: Foodbank coffers boosted by $10K thanks to donation from Port

Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns, right, hands a cheque donation to Tauranga Foodbank chairman Larry Bilodeau. Photo / Esme O'Rafferty

The Tauranga Community Foodbank's coffers have been given a $10,000 boost, thanks to a generous donation from the Port of Tauranga.

Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns said the organisation began to donate to the foodbank after they stopped their corporate gifts a few years ago.

"We decided we'd stop the corporate gifts ... and use the money we'd normally spend on that for donating to charity," he said.

"We allocated the lion's share - $10,000 - to the foodbank, and we get our staff to nominate the other charity."

This year, the other charity they donated to was the Cancer Society.

A senior executive at the company died of cancer last month, "so I think that was a good nomination by staff".

Cairns said the staff at the foodbank do "a fantastic job".

"It's good that they can have cash rather than food donations," he said.

"All of our staff also donate food as well ... it's a fantastic cause."

Cairns said after coming out to the foodbank every year, he could see how it was required by the community.

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Foodbank chairman Larry Bilodeau said the donation would make "a huge difference".

"It's probably 10 per cent of what we spend each year on food," he said.

"That's just fantastic."

Bilodeau said he wanted to thank not just the port organisation as a whole, but also the individual staff for choosing to make the donation to the foodbank each year.

"We feed 16,000 people over the course of the year ... to be able to do that is just fantastic," he said.

"With what the port donates, it just makes it all possible."

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