Families, a local book club, local authors and Penguin New Zealand were among those who selected and added to the pile of books.
Brown said the couple were pleasantly surprised with the wide range of ages for which the books had been chosen, as well as the many Kiwi authors making up the bylines.
Kiwi Christmas Books director Sonya Wilson said the local response was "fantastic", especially given this was the first time they've done this in Tauranga and hadn't advertised it.
"Books and stories can really be so powerful; they educate, they entertain, they teach empathy and understanding and allow kids to see the world through other people's eyes," Wilson said.
"As one of our posters says: Reading gives us a place to go when we have to stay where we are."
Wilson said the Tauranga foodbank seemed like a "fantastic" local charity with direct involvement with local families in need.
Overall, more than 6000 books were donated nationwide and would be delivered to 21 charities nationwide.
Tauranga Community Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said they were "absolutely beautiful books".
"It was very special, a lot of care and love went into choosing those books."
The books were being tucked into the parcels for families for a nice surprise when they opened it up.
