Our Christmas appeal to boost Tauranga foodbank launched

HELPING HANDS: Tauranga Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin and chairman Alan Plunkett.PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER

The Bay of Plenty Times today launches its 2014 Christmas Appeal to raise money and food for the foodbank, as new figures show the number of local people struggling to get by is continuing to grow.

For the next six weeks, the paper will be seeking donations of food and cash to help the Tauranga Community Foodbank continue its work during the Christmas period and into next year.

The foodbank this year gave 10 per cent more food parcels than for the same period in 2013.

Between January and October 2014, the foodbank issued 5238 parcels, feeding 6895 adults and 9784 children.

Manager Nicki Goodwin said the main increase in parcels issued was during February, as families struggled to pay the costs associated with the start of the school year, and in June and July thanks to winter power bills and a lack of seasonal work.

Ms Goodwin said there would have been an even higher demand on the foodbank if it were not for other community initiatives such as Food Rescue and Bellyful.

Individuals, families, schools, businesses and community groups have donated more than $206,000 worth of food and cash during the past three Christmas appeals. A total of $86,496.95 was raised through last year's campaign, $67,008 was raised in the 2012 appeal, and $53,169.57 was raised in 2011.

This year's appeal is asking locals to show generosity by donating food or cash to help needy Tauranga families.

The appeal will be run through the weekday and weekend editions of the paper, its website bayofplentytimes.co.nz, community paper Bay News, and will have support from The Hits workday programme.

Street appeals will be carried out again, and businesses and schools are welcome to take part and their efforts will be acknowledged by the Bay of Plenty Times.

The Bay of Plenty Times is kick-starting the campaign by donating $1000.

Other businesses and community groups are challenged to get behind the campaign and donate what they can as well. The amount raised will be calculated by valuing each item at $2.

Foodbank chairman Alan Plunkett said $2 better reflected the value of items donated than the $1.50 used to calculate the total during last year's appeal.

The foodbank hands out about 7000 food parcels each year, which works out to be about 25-30 food parcels worth $40 to $50 every day.

Ms Goodwin said the annual appeal was vitally important to the charity.

"Part of what we are trying to achieve is giving people a hand up when things are tough. Having food to eat is a basic necessity.

"When families and individuals feel supported by the community they live in when times are tough for them, then they in turn often return the favour to the community as things in their lives improve," she said.

The service was not just for the poorest of the poor but often saw working families or individuals seeking help when an emergency or an unexpected cost meant they could not cope with basic living costs, she said.

To receive a food parcel, a person had to be referred to the foodbank by one of about 60 referral agents, such as Tauranga Budget Service and the Salvation Army. Any one family or individual could receive a maximum of three parcels in a 12-month period and had to be actively undertaking budgeting advice to qualify for more.