Christmas foodbank appeal tops $32,000

The Bay of Plenty Times Christmas Appeal for the Tauranga Community Foodbank has raised more than $32,000 in less than a month. And there is still a week to go in the appeal, which winds up on Christmas Eve.

Some 17,304 food items have been collected since the launch of the appeal and $14,942.47 in cash donated - a total of $32,246.47.

Each food item is being counted as $1, but with many donations of luxury items such as Christmas puddings and mince pies, foodbank chairman Mike Baker said the average value would more accurately be $2 or more.

This week, the appeal had a huge boost, with 7739 items donated and $3130.07 received in cash. The figure included the fruits of a can drive last weekend in The Avenues run by the Tauranga City Sunrise Lions Club, which collected more than 2000 items.

Mr Baker said this week's total was probably the result of a "snowball effect" since the campaign began five weeks ago.

"I'm completely and utterly blown away. It's very humbling," he said. "A lot of people would have been organising things for awhile and it's culminating now.

"I picked up 140 items from Althorp Village today - they had been doing it since the beginning of the campaign."

The donations are coming just as the foodbank needs it most. As Christmas approaches, many people in the community are struggling - yesterday the foodbank gave out 45 food parcels, after a similar amount the day before.

Mr Baker expects the last week of the campaign before Christmas to be another cracker, as people reach out to those less fortunate.

"We appreciate the fact that lots of people are struggling, but we seem to have somehow hit a spot in the market. We have opened up a hole and people want to fill it. The generosity is absolutely and utterly humbling.

"The volunteers at the foodbank are just about run ragged - in a good way - because there's so much coming in."

The foodbank is also receiving goodwill from people donating and those receiving.

"We received a Christmas card thanking us for making life so much easier this year, signed by mum and her two kids."

Bay of Plenty Times editor Scott Inglis was delighted the Western Bay community had embraced the foodbank appeal. It was heart-warming to see the community support those less fortunate, he said. "There's a real Christmas spirit in Tauranga this year. Let's hope the last week leading up to Christmas will see even more generosity."