"Can Day has turned into one of those legacy events. It's quite neat that we've built it up to that.
"We get calls about it throughout the year and a whole lot of families come through."
Brady said supporting the local community is just "who we are and what we do".
"We are very grateful to our local community and it's a nice way to give back after what's been a hard year for everybody."
Salvation Army corps officer Kylie Overbye said the foodbank team were very excited to hear Can Day could go ahead.
"I didn't think they would due to Covid-19. So yay!"
Salvation Army corps officer Kylie Overbye said the foodbank team were very excited to hear Can Day could go ahead. Photo / NZME
Overbye said that as of Wednesday the foodbank had received $22,695 worth of donations.
But it is difficult to tell if this will be enough.
"Prior to Covid, we would typically provide approximately 120-130 Christmas food parcels over the Christmas period.
"However, last year with the increased need in the community, we gave up to 400 food parcels of varying sizes on top of our usual routine foodbank support."
Overbye said the main concern was the unknown level of demand for food assistance that may be required in the coming year.
"There are question marks around what that will look like, and if we will have enough supply to meet the demand, which depends a lot on the impact of Covid-19 on people's lives."
The Rotorua Salvation Army's Christmas food parcels usually contain a variety of non-perishable foods. Photo / NZME
This year the foodbank has allocated 200 Christmas food parcels.
"We know there are still others in need, and we will still be providing our usual food parcels until December 23," Overbye said.
"Where we have any additional Christmas goodies, we'll pop these into our parcels where we can."
A standard food parcel includes the kinds of foods a family would buy in their basic grocery shop. This includes bread, milk, a little meat, vegetables, canned goods, pasta, rice, flour, tea or coffee, spreads, eggs, and toiletries.
Overbye said giving this kind of assistance brings hope and relief to people.
"In those moments you see all the stress melt away from them. The help they receive really matters."
To get your spot at Zorb Rotorua's Can Day you'll need to make a booking, bring proof of address and if you're over 12 years old bring your vaccine pass. Photo / NZME
Food donated through the Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal goes towards creating Christmas hampers for those in need. Any money donated will be used to buy more food.
Any gifts donated will be given to families for their children.
It was asked that gifts be brought in unwrapped, so parents could be provided with wrapping paper to get the special feeling of wrapping them themselves.
Last year's appeal saw the total value of donations reach $64,984.90. The donations helped more than 300 families at Christmas and ensured the Salvation Army could help more families year-round.
In accordance with red light traffic system guidelines, Zorb Rotorua will be checking for vaccine passes upon entry.
Please note: The Rotorua Daily Post office on Hinemoa St is no longer open to receive donations. Please bring any donations straight to the Salvation Army.
