Hamilton Combined Christian Foodbank faces record Christmas demand as need surges

Hamilton Combined Christian Food Bank manager Debbie Wilson says the service delivers more than 50 food parcels a day.

Christmas is often supposed to be a time of celebration – but at the Hamilton Combined Christian Foodbank, it’s shaping up to be one of the most demanding seasons yet.

Foodbank manager Debbie Wilson said demand was “going up and up”, with families under financial pressure as the holiday season collided with soaring living costs.

“It’s exhausting, but knowing we make a difference – even in small ways – makes it worth it,” she said.

Between June and October, the number of food parcels handed out nearly doubled, increasing from 510 for the same period last year to 973.

“The numbers are going up and up,” Wilson said.

Christmas is consistently the busiest time of year for the foodbank, closely followed by late January when children return to school.

“There are demands on families for presents, school fees and uniforms, so they need food,” Wilson said.

To keep shelves stocked, the foodbank now buys most of its supplies from Pak’nSave and Gilmours, supplemented by community donations.

“We do not buy extravagant stuff,” she said.

But even the basics add up fast.

The foodbank spends between $3000 and $4000 a week at Pak’nSave – including $1440 on milk powder.

“The food bank will use 50kg of sugar each week,” Wilson said.

The food parcels come in three different sizes, one, two and three, all containing basic staples, Wilson said.

Clients also receive a freezer bag with frozen vegetables and mince.

She said the foodbank and its clients were being squeezed by the relentless rise in living costs.

“Six months ago, we were hoping to be able to put cheese in the food parcels. Now we’re just trying to sustain what we’re doing now.”

Wilson works six days a week to meet the rising need, taking only Mondays off so she can run a frozen meal service for kaumātua.

In October, Wilson launched Superconnect, a home-cooked, frozen meals programme that caters to kaumātua in need.

The low-sodium, diverse meals service began after Wilson recognised a gap in the community, particularly among older people.

“We have made it 65 and over, also because we know that’s an age group struggling financially ... in our community.”

As Christmas approached and pressure mounted on struggling families, the workload – and the emotional toll – continued to grow, Wilson said.

“Although Christmas comes every year, unexpected things come as well.”

“If you’re on the bones of your bum, chances are your car is going to need something.”

The demand for the Combined Christian Foodbank had started to dip towards the end of last year, but got worse from June this year onwards, Wilson said.

“We got down to about 33 [food parcels] a day on average.”

It had surged to doing 60 to 70 food parcels a day this year, Wilson said.

Clients could receive 10 food parcels or eight frozen meals in a year, and there were many who did not use the service a second time, Wilson said.

“There are definitely success stories.”

The food bank collaborates with 13 agencies in Hamilton, partnering with a range of hospitals and neighbourhood houses.

The size of each family determined how much assistance they received, Wilson said.

“A family of four get two, size two. A family of five get a two and a three.”

“We often get families of 10.”

Special diets are catered for, with halal and vegan options.

Once Christmas and the holidays are over, Wilson will begin planning 2026.

Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. He previously worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive.