Can-do community provides

The annual Masterton South Rotary street-wide can drive this year was a huge success.

It's fantastic how the community comes out in support of the needy and this Christmas it was no different when it came to the annual Masterton South Rotary street-wide can drive, said Masterton Foodbank staff.

The street-wide can drive, undertaken by volunteers and fire service, police and ambulance staff recently, was a huge success, said foodbank co-ordinator Lyn Tankersley.

"It was wonderful," she said. "It was down slightly on last year but then last year was it was bigger than normal. So it was closer to normal."

They were extremely grateful for the support shown to the appeal.

"There is always so much manpower that goes into it. They are constantly supporting us."

At the moment volunteers from the foodbank are providing between 40 and 50 parcels to needy and struggling families every week.

"It's really a sad thing but it's where we are at in society. For some people it's just the last straw.

"They are so down in the dumps when they come to us," Mrs Tankersley said.

The Masterton community was always supportive of the cause, with schools regularly hosting mufti-days in aid of the foodbank and churches and businesses helping. As an example, Food For Thought ran a swap-a-can for a coffee promotion, handing five large hampers full of cans to the foodbank.

The Masterton Foodbank is run 100 per cent by volunteers with everything gifted going into food for the community. "The Masterton community are absolutely fabulous at supporting us," Mrs Tankersley said.

While the foodbank doesn't give out Christmas hampers, the Salvation Army provides struggling people with a Christmas parcel.