Girls' Brigade chip in for foodbank

LAWRENCE GULLERY
Delicious home-made chocolates baked by the Napier Girls' Brigade has brought some early Christmas cheer to the the Napier community foodbank.
Two big bags of chocolates donated by the brigade now sit in a freezer waiting to be sorted into food parcels as the Napier foodbank prepares for the busy post-Christmas period.
A spokesperson for the foodbank said it was always difficult sourcing food for the parcels but over the past couple of months community groups and businesses had shown they were happy to help.
"We're very lucky, we've been getting lots from groups, the Christmas generosity is definitely out there and alive," she said.
Members from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had organised a food drive on Saturday, December 2, for people in Napier, Hastings, Wairoa, Central Hawke's Bay and Dannevirke.
Also, New Zealand Post had also made a donation to the major town centres in Hawke's Bay for food parcels.
Community church groups from around Napier had also shown their support to the foodbank by giving groceries, tins of food, usually collected during their end of year Christmas functions.
"We always do something for the foodbank and it's usually something just a bit special because we realise sometimes people don't get those sort of things."
Brigade leader Janice Zachan said the girls' managed to resist the temptation to eat the goodies before they were cooked.
"The Brigade does something for the foodbank every year ... this year the four leaders decided they wanted to bake chocolates," she said.
The juniors, aged 5-8, made no-bake biscuits; the seniors, aged 9-12, made truffles and pioneers, those 13 years and older, baked the chocolates.
Lily, nine, and Lorelei Simpson, five, with the co-ordinator of the Napier Community Food Bank Christine Meybaum. PICTURE: DUNCAN BROWN