Christmas Appeal: Port of Tauranga gives $15,000 to foodbank

Tauranga Community Foodbank chair Larry Bilodeau (left) and Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns. Photo / George Novak

In the final week of the Christmas Appeal, the Port of Tauranga has donated $15,000, bringing the company's total support for the foodbank to $40,000.

This is the final week of the annual six-week Bay of Plenty Times Christmas Appeal, in partnership with Gilmours Wholesale Food and Beverage Tauriko.

For last year's appeal, the port gave a $10,000 boost to the Foodbank. The organisation began donating to the foodbank after it stopped its corporate gifts.

Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns said this was the 11th year the port had donated to the foodbank through the money that would otherwise be put into corporate gifts.

Cairns said it was great that the staff chose the foodbank again, which he said they hoped would help the service get the food to where it was needed most.

Tauranga Community Foodbank chairman Larry Bilodeau said the support from the port was "fantastic" and allowed the charity to improve its parcels.

"They've been really, really generous ... this makes such a huge difference to us," he said.

"We work hard to feed a lot of people around the Bay of Plenty and it does cost a lot of money to buy the food and keep everything going."

Tauranga Community Foodbank chair Larry Bilodeau (left) and Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns. Photo / George Novak

He said in a time where more people were looking for support, the port, and many other corporates were coming together to help.

Yesterday's donation came as a surprise to the foodbank's manager Nicki Goodwin given the port donated $25,000 in April after workers raised concerns for those struggling in the community because of Covid-19.

She said this was the biggest cash donation they had received over the course of the appeal.

"I can't put it into words how generous they are," she said.

She said the trust that was showed in their continued support meant a lot.

"Just grateful, overwhelmed, and thankful."

This brings the total cash donations from the six-week appeal so far to $86,710, with three days to go.

The Christmas Appeal's goal is to collect at least $120,000 for food in the coming year.

The total number of items donated so far is 23,832, of which Goodwin said the quality had been "amazing".