Christmas Appeal: 300 desserts donated to Tauranga foodbank

Foodbank volunteer Rachel Dew with one of the 300 sweet treats donated by Melba Elite Foods. Photo / George Novak

Hundreds of desserts and baked goods have been donated to the local foodbank ahead of the silly season, adding the sweetest of surprises for food parcel recipients.

Melba Elite Foods, a Tauranga-based wholesale baked goods supplier, has donated 300 desserts to the Tauranga Community Foodbank.

The donation included tray cakes which can be cut into 30 slices, cheesecakes portioned into 12, boxes of a half-dozen tarts and loaves.

The sweet donation came during the first week of the Bay of Plenty Times six-week Christmas Appeal for the Tauranga Community Foodbank, in partnership with Gilmours Wholesale Food and Beverage Tauriko.

Melba Elite Foods sells its high-quality goods to businesses but products with cosmetic issues such as oddly-shaped, off-centre fillings and wonky slices, cannot be sold.

Despite the visual imperfections the taste and quality are intact and the company usually sells the goods to staff at hugely-discounted prices.

National operations manager Kevin Sox said this year the staff decided they could all give back.

"Especially in times like this as we're going into school holidays and Christmas, we prefer to give out the samples to the likes of foodbank."

Sox said without the imperfections, the desserts would cost businesses between $15 and $18 meaning 300 of them were valued at $5400.

The company has been donating its goods for at least eight years.

Sox said he was unaware until recently these sorts of treats were only available for foodbank clients through donations.

For people who received parcels from the foodbank to be able to still get an unexpected treat was heartwarming, he said.

Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said sweet treats weren't in its budget and were only available for clients if donated.

"We love putting them in parcels.

"It's unexpected to get a beautiful cake or slice in your food parcel ... it's just happiness."

When they do get sweet treats, volunteers put them at the top of the parcel so it is the first thing seen when opened.

As the foodbank has extremely limited storage, Sox said Melba Elite Foods would store the goods for the foodbank so it can collect as needed.

"That is so, so helpful," Goodwin said.