Jessica Stewart has always been drawn to helping people, but this year has taken on a role that takes it to the next level.
Stewart is now one of three who make up the fulltime working trio at the Tauranga Community Foodbank, which is coming into one of its busiest times of year.
She has been working at the foodbank since October as the food support and volunteer manager and six weeks in said it’s been “a whirlwind but a great one”.
This comes as the Bay of Plenty Times six-week annual Christmas Appeal ramps up, entering its fourth week.
She said when she saw the job advertised it ticked all her boxes.
“I’ve been wanting to get back into work that was meaningful and helpful in the community. I was lucky enough to get an interview and meet the team and I knew I wanted to work here with these people.
“They were such genuine, kind-hearted people who were doing such a fantastic job. It was a really well-run operation.”
Stewart’s main role at the foodbank is administrative and she’s on the phone and computer most days taking referrals.
“We have about 70 different referral agents throughout Tauranga who refer to the foodbank. They’ll either come through by email or call and I have multiple screens up.
“On average, we get maybe, during the year, 20 to 25 referrals a day, but we’re currently doing 50 a day and it will be going up to about 70. It’s getting very busy,” she said.
“It’s a big jump and we have started to notice it a little bit in October, November started to pick up and then the next two to three weeks are going to be really busy; I guess it’s just a lot of financial pressures at this time of the year.”
The foodbank has seen an increase of 37% from 2023 to 2024 in the support provided to people connected with a financial mentoring service.
Stewart also works closely with volunteers and, alongside warehouse manager Jordy Gastmeier, is tasked with organising volunteer rosters.
“With our volunteers I will try and plan out the roster, which is ever-changing. I do this with Jordy because she is the one who works with them a lot in the warehouse,” Stewart said.
Jordy Gastmeier manages the foodbank warehouse and works closely with all foodbank volunteers, managing their daily tasks.
“Even though I manage the volunteers, I try to let them contribute as much as possible and I do listen to their ideas and take them on board,” Gastmeier said.
“We’ve created a community within the foodbank and I think people just love being a part of something bigger than themselves that gives them some purpose, going away at the end of the day knowing they’ve helped people.”
Gastmeier said working alongside the volunteers was fun and with more than 100 it was good to be a part of a team.
“I like the saying creating unity within diversity and I think that’s what we’ve really done here.”
One of these volunteers is Michelle Lee who started volunteering at the Tauranga Community Foodbank last Christmas, almost reaching a full year.
“I had finished working for several reasons and just wanted to give back, so thought Christmas was a good time to start.”
Volunteering every Monday, Lee loves to do it all at the foodbank and said all it took to volunteer was to be able to follow instructions and use initiative.
“We make up parcels for customers that come in for deliveries, we fill boxes, we divide bulk items and keep the shop floor looking tidy.
“I really like our Monday crew. We get in and we get it done. We’ve all got our jobs sorted and we’re like a well-oiled machine.”
She said as it got closer to Christmas it was starting to get busier, and with the Bay of Plenty Times Christmas appeal more donations are coming in.
“The whiteboard where we take our customer orders from is getting more and more full and it’s continuing to stay full as we’re making more boxes and seeing more clients.
“With donations, what’s coming in is definitely going out just as fast, but no matter how small or big, it is gratefully welcome.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.