Christmas Appeal: Tauranga Boys' College makes Christmas hampers

More than 100 goodie packs filled with Christmas treats, wrapped and sealed with a specially designed card, are bound for the foodbank.

Tauranga Boys' College will drop off 100 goodie bags to the foodbank, each with chips, dip, chocolate biscuits and Roses chocolates.

Another 40 boxes will have the same treats, plus a bottle of sparkling grape juice, Christmas serviettes, crackers and Christmas mince pies.

Each parcel - neatly wrapped in cellophane, tied with a glittery ornament - comes with a card designed by the school's art department.

The packs will add to the donations made during the Bay of Plenty Times' annual six-week Christmas appeal, in partnership with Gilmours Wholesale Food and Beverage Tauriko, for the Tauranga Community Foodbank.

Foodbank volunteers will put the packs in food parcels for clients.

Teacher Denise Fahey said everybody deserved a treat at Christmas.

The school has supported the foodbank before, collecting 8508 items last term as part of its annual foodbank appeal.

Tauranga Boys College student Cody Warner. Photo /George Novak

Fahey said staff this year were more mindful of the push for donations, given the many school families who were struggling.

"On the flip side, we have a lot of families that can give - and those that can did."

She said families and students had been "extra generous": one of her Year 11 students donated $300 he earned through working.

The school also collected $30 from each of the school's 60 form classes to buy personal care products such as body wash, razors and toothpaste for the foodbank.

Fahey said leftover money was put towards making hampers of treats for foodbank clients.

Staff topped them out of their own pockets.

Year 10 student Cody Warner helped wrap parcels and said it felt good to help light up someone else's Christmas and made him feel grateful for what he had.