Tauranga law firm's TECT cheque donation to foodbank 'easy'

Sharline Fitzgerald has donated the Holland Beckett TECT cheque since 2009 to the Tauranga Community Foodbank and wants others to do likewise. Photo / George Novak

A Tauranga law firm is one of the first businesses to put their hand up to help those less fortunate this Christmas.

The team at Holland Beckett Law are again offering the value of their TECT cheque to the Tauranga Community Foodbank as part of this year's Bay of Plenty Times' Christmas Appeal.

Read more here.

Practice manager Sharline Fitzgerald said the annual donation had become tradition for the law firm.

"We have been donating our TECT dividend to the foodbank since 2009," she said.

"We hope we will inspire other TrustPower consumers to consider donating their TECT dividend to a good cause."

The company has so far donated a total of $16,634 plus food collections and one-off fundraisers towards the foodbank.

"We admire Nicki Goodwin and her team at the Tauranga Community Foodbank - they are very resourceful and make sure they get the best value for money when purchasing food," Fitzgerald said.

"The Tauranga foodbank has an amazing team of volunteers and it is a privilege to offer financial support to complement the dedicated work of the volunteers. We know that every dollar we donate will be efficiently used for the benefit of those in need rather than being spent on overheads and fancy marketing campaigns."

Fitzgerald said the money from the TECT cheque was an unbudgeted stream of income that had not been earmarked for anything in particular so "in that regard, it's easy to pass it on to a good cause".

Fitzgerald said the timing of the TECT dividend helped a lot.

"We know many Tauranga families struggle to make ends meet and the lead-up to Christmas can be a particularly difficult time of year."

The Christmas appeal was launched on Saturday.

How to apply for a food parcel?

You will need to visit one of the Tauranga Community Foodbank's approved referral agencies to obtain a "food parcel referral". Just take along some form of ID and they will be able to get things sorted for you. They will give the foodbank a call so that they know you will be visiting for some help. That way the team at the foodbank can have everything ready when you arrive.