Cafe community show can-do attitude

GREAT RESULT: Foodbank volunteer Steve Sale with Food For Thought owner Yvonne McNeil. Behind them are staff members Haana Rose (left), Sarah Barber, Jacob Glover and Sophie Thompson. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

The festive season has already been felt by Food For Thought staff who are "overwhelmed" at the response to their recent Swap a Can for a Coffee promotion with five laundry hampers full of cans collected in support of the needy.

For two weeks customers could drop into the Queen St cafe with a can of food and swap it for a cup of coffee.

By last Saturday when the promotion ended, they had collected 542 cans to help fill the larder at Masterton Foodbank.

Food For Thought owner Yvonne McNeil said while it was the first time they had run the promotion for the agency, it may not be the last.

"There was an overwhelming response," she said. "People mostly have been so very generous ... thank you Masterton from us all."

Masterton Foodbank co-ordinator Lyn Tankersley said the Masterton community, churches and businesses were amazing at supporting the community which they were extremely grateful for. She is blown away by the cafe's effort.

"It's absolutely wonderful," she said. "The Masterton community is absolutely fantastic. This initiative from Food For Thought was wonderful. Every week churches bring food, the schools hold mufti days and businesses do what they can. It's fantastic, just fabulous."

Tonight, the annual Emergency Services Street Drive will be held.

Many families were struggling to put food on the table and such drives helped immensely, Mrs Tankersley said.

"There is quite a lot of poverty New Zealand-wide," she said.

"People are really struggling. Demand for our service has increased slowly right throughout the year."

Collectors will be out and about walking Masterton streets between about 5.30pm and 8pm tonight. Mrs Tankerley said sirens from the fire engines, ambulances and police cars will warn residents that collectors are close by.