Editorial: Help us stock the foodbank for Christmas

The Bay Times gives back. Reporter Sonya Bateson volunteers at the Foodbank.She is pictured with volunteer Rob Clark. Photo/File.

There are fewer than seven weeks until Christmas - a time when many families across the Bay will be exchanging presents and treating themselves to festive food.

This food will include staples such as turkey, ham, chicken, salads and, of course, puddings such as pavlova and fruit salad. It's a long-standing joke about putting on some Christmas weight and then having to burn it off again.

But not everyone will be eating this type of food. Some will be struggling to put any food on their table, and will be turning to the Tauranga Community Foodbank for help.

And the foodbank, in turn, needs your help.

As you would have read in today's edition, the Bay of Plenty Times is launching its annual Christmas appeal, raising food and money for the foodbank.

It is the fourth year in a row we've supported this fantastic charity. The three campaigns so far have helped raise more than $206,000 - an achievement everyone who has donated and helped with can be immensely proud of.

Now, we need your help again.

Like previous years, we'll be putting the foodbank firmly on the news agenda over the coming six weeks and encouraging people and businesses to give what they can.

We'll be going door to door and I know from personal experience it feels good to be helping people who need it at this special time of year.

The good thing about helping the foodbank is if you're not in a position to donate money, a can or two of food makes all the difference.

The foodbank's reach into our community is long. This year, it has helped nearly 7000 adults and nearly 10,000 children. This is a lot of people in need who live in our community. And it's the children I feel sorriest for because they have no control over what is happening around them.

The volunteers who run the foodbank also deserve a special mention. Foodbank chairman Alan Plunkett and manager Nicki Goodwin and their dedicated team do a terrific job.

We'll be bringing you plenty of stories and updates over the coming weeks as we crank up this year's appeal.

What we need most is your kindness and help. Details of how you can donate are published in today's edition.

Together, we can make a difference.