Christmas Appeal: What it’s like to volunteer at Tauranga Community Foodbank

When I met Tauranga Community Foodbank general manager Nicki Goodwin for the first time, she told me a day working at the foodbank looked like “a lot of fun, a lot of problem-solving, and a lot of kindness”.

As part of the Bay of Plenty Times’ annual six-week Christmas Appeal, I spent a day volunteering and can now say I’ve seen first-hand how hard-working, kind, and generous the team really is.

On a gloomy grey Thursday, I arrived at 9am sharp with the rest of the volunteers, who came in with their own donations – already proving just how much they go above and beyond to give back.

I walked into a brightly lit warehouse space tightly packed with organised shelves, each stacked with tins and other food items, with clearly labelled signs to ensure a volunteer’s day, like mine, runs smoothly.

Welcomed by the team, who were smiling ear to ear, I was given my name badge by Nicki and set my first task by the passionate and efficient warehouse manager Jordy Gastmeier.

The foodbank had just received a delicious donation of 200 frozen pies, and I was tasked with packaging these up in bags of three, while Anne – a volunteer who has been giving her time to the foodbank for an incredible nine years – sorted eggs into cartons.

Bay of Plenty Times reporter Kaitlyn Morrell packaging up frozen pies while volunteering at the Tauranga Community Foodbank.

Anne could not be cajoled into posing for a photo and did not want her surname used, but was happy to share her volunteering story with me as we chipped away at our jobs for a good hour.

“I was at the stage where I stopped working and I wanted to be involved with something practical and something I was interested in,” she said.

“And I love food, so it was a natural fit.”

She said the most rewarding parts were being in a team of “absolutely brilliant people to work with”, meeting customers and seeing first-hand what a difference the foodbank makes to their lives.

As she shared this, a doorbell rang, echoing throughout the depot, and Anne took me under her wing as we served a first-time customer who needed some food support.

We grabbed a trolley and started loading it up for a family of four, grabbing potatoes, a bag of fresh vegetables, jam and margarine, bread, sausages and other essentials.

Handing over the groceries, Anne was beaming with joy and the customer was so appreciative to receive the food that would help feed her family.

Food support boxes are packed day to day with essentials for families in need. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

Seeing for myself the impact volunteers like Anne had on people using the foodbank truly resonated with me and I felt the goodness of being able to give back.

“We’re getting a lot more customers who are quite clearly out of their comfort zone coming in here,” Anne told me.

“But you feel as if you’re making a big difference in people’s lives. It is a very rewarding place to be.”

I took a break in the tea room and watched as volunteers did what they do best – serve the community. Seeing how thankful each customer was, it was easy to understand why people give their time and donations to this cause.

The foodbank usually serves 40 households per day, but heading into Christmas, this would rise to 50-70 households a day.

Mel Lowe, who has volunteered for two years, said it was nice to know she was helping people through tough times.

Foodbank volunteer Mel Lowe repackaging donated toilet paper, one of the many jobs she does while volunteering. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

“You just never know when you’re going to be faced with this sort of difficulty in life, and seeing how much of a help we are to other people, they’re often in tears with gratitude.

“It’s pretty cool to know that you’re doing something to help here,” Mel said.

She said she was the “jack of all trades” at the foodbank, doing tasks ranging from repackaging food and organising fruit and vegetables to emptying pallets of toilet paper and doing deliveries.

“I do it all,” Mel said.

I was asked to help her fill food support boxes in preparation for the busy upcoming weeks.

Armed with lists designed for different types of families, and a trolley loaded with three boxes, I strolled through the aisles, filling each box with non-perishable donated items such as baked beans, spaghetti, tinned fruit, tinned soup, rice, pasta, milk powder and treats.

I learned customers usually receive a pre-packed box of essentials to suit their household, plus fresh produce and, if they want, meat. They can then choose four items from a selection of extras, such as baking ingredients or cleaning products. Women’s sanitary items are available to whoever needs them.

I filled essential boxes until several pallets were stacked high – a bit like a game of Tetris.

When I finished for the day, I popped my head back into the warehouse and, as I left, everyone was just as warm as they had been when I arrived that morning.

As Nicki first told me, my day at the foodbank was a lot of fun, involved some problem-solving and was filled with more kindness than I could have ever imagined.

Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.