Volunteer Gilda Rowland, from Welcome Bay, takes me under her wing shortly after I arrive. She shows me how to put together food packages for different family sizes while sharing advice on how to work quickly.
The 68-year-old, who has been volunteering at the food bank for about eight years, is kind and patient as I muddle my way through putting together a food parcel for a family of five.
She is matter-of-fact and extremely efficient as we wander the aisles of non-perishable goods – loading canned food, cereal, pasta, rice, biscuits, and long-life milk into the trolley.
I seem to be getting confused easily – putting the wrong number of canned tomatoes in the box - despite being told the work is "not rocket science".
Bay of Plenty Times reporter Emma Houpt alongside volunteer Gilda Rowland at the food bank. Photo / Mead Norton
Maybe it's because I've always lacked coordination but it takes a good hour for me to get the hang of things.
A mother and her child are waiting for us out the front of the warehouse. Gilda tells me they are receiving a "top-up" which will provide them with a week's worth of groceries.
We grab potatoes, onions, a bag of fresh vegetables, eggs, bread, chicken, and sausages for the family.
The mum, who has a chest infection, also gets tissues, hand sanitiser, cold and flu medication, and dog food.
Two stacked trolleys are taken outside and you can sense her gratitude and relief to be heading away with a car full of food.
Gilda says it is a "wonderful feeling" when customers leave smiling.
"We can't change their life but we can make their next few days a lot happier. It certainly takes the edge off their stress if they are able to put a meal on the table."
She says strong work ethic, initiative, compassion, and being non-judgmental are just some of the skills you need as a volunteer – strength is an added bonus for when heavy lifting is required.
"Working as a team is really important. No, it's not rocket science, but it's very labour-intensive."
But she says she rarely feels overly stressful because of the systems in place.
"It's such a well-oiled machine that there is seldom a time where it feels chaotic. Even if it's really busy, it's organised busy."
The handmade stockings filled with treats. Photo / Mead Norton
During the second half of my shift, warehouse manager Jordy Gastmeier assigns me the task of moving eggs from large boxes into smaller cartons.
I don't even make it halfway through the task before cracking an egg when I put it down too hard in a carton.
I'm told eggs are divvied up so there are three per person in a food parcel. And so food does not go to waste, cartons with the most recent expiry date are put at the back of the fridge.
Even though there seems to be a constant trickle of people turning up for support, Jordy says the day has been a relatively quiet day with only 30 households getting groceries.
The 11 volunteers – ranging in age from 18 to 83 - are focusing on restocking shelves and packing boxes of non-perishable goods so they "don't get caught out when that unexpected busy time comes".
"A few years ago, a busy day at the food bank was helping 20 people," Jordy says.
"But a couple of weeks ago, we had 51 parcels go out – that's a lot of food. When you have a day like that your shelves can almost be bare. That's why I am constantly restocking them."
The volunteers tell me clients have different ways of expressing relief and gratitude - whether it be a smile, tears when receiving groceries, or the occasional handwritten card.
I watch as a volunteer driver returns from grocery deliveries as his shift ends carrying a lily and a colourful handmade card.
It's from a family saving for a car who was referred to the food bank through the city's budgeting service.
"Thank you for helping so many families, you are doing great deeds," a child has written. "Thank you for helping us get closer to a car."
