Giving to the Salvation Army Rotorua Foodbank is a yearly tradition for Margaret Topless.
This year was no different as the Rotorua mum-of-two was one of the first people to donate towards the Rotorua Daily Post's annual Christmas appeal.
Topless took cans of food and some dried goods into the Salvation Army on Tuesday and said if every family donated a few items, the whole community would benefit.
She said to her, making a donation was not a big deal as she often had surplus cans in the cupboard.
"It's a really good cause and every little bit is going to help," she said.
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Topless said it was easy to forget to make a donation but every year she was prompted to give to the appeal either through her children's school, through Scouts or by reading about the appeal in the Rotorua Daily Post.
"I don't think about it until I get a little reminder and I think 'I need to make sure I take some food down'," she said.
Topless said the festive season could add more pressure to families trying to prepare for Christmas Day.
"Grab a few cans and take them down," she said.
The Christmas Appeal runs from now until December 22 and is run by the Rotorua Daily Post, in conjunction with the Rotorua Weekender and The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM.