Christmas Appeal 2024

The holidays are a time for joy, family, and of course, good food. But for many families in our community, putting food on the table is a daily struggle. That’s where we come in — and where you can help.

For over 12 years, the Foodbank Christmas Appeal has been bringing our community together to support those in need. Driven by the amazing team at the Bay of Plenty Times, this campaign has raised over $1 million in cash and nearly $500,000 in groceries. That’s huge! The donations represent anywhere from 30 – 60% of our annual donations.

But the need is still great, and we’re counting on you to help us make this year’s appeal the best one yet.

Find Out More!

Sign Up To Our Supporters Mailing List

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Request A Volunteer Form

Please complete the form and we will post a physical form out to you.

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Apply To Be A Volunteer

Request a Call

We are happy to arrange for someone from the foodbank to come and talk to your teams. Please complete the form and we will be in touch.

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Volunteer

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.
With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive.
Apply to Volunteer

Volunteers are our lifeblood!

As we only have three permanent staff members, we depend on our team of volunteers to help run our operation and support so many in our community. 

  • We have nearly 100 individuals who regularly volunteer for us; around 70 of these legends work at least one shift every week. We are so grateful.
  • There is a wonderful atmosphere and sense of community among the volunteers; teenagers work alongside those in their nineties, diverse groups are brought together, and relationships are built.
  • Our culture of diversity and inclusivity means we recognise the contribution that each person’s unique experiences and perspectives can bring.
  • We have relationships with several social agencies including the Ngai Te Rangi alternative justice programme, Police Youth, and the Graeme Dingle Foundation.
  • We also work with school guidance and counselling programmes, as well as Momenta Charitable Trust and Arohanui Art & Education Trust which support adults with disabilities.
  • Through these and many other relationships, we can give people volunteer experience and the opportunity to explore new interests, learn skills and prepare for the future.

Sign Up To Become A Volunteer Or A Supporter

Do you want to be part of our community supporting community?
We’d love you to join!

Become A Volunteer
Become A Supporter

Would You Like To Volunteer?

That’s fantastic – thanks for thinking of us! Tēnā anō koutou!

We welcome volunteers from all walks of life. The only thing we ask is that you’re prepared to work as part of a team, and that you can make a commitment of at least 4-6 months.

Volunteer Roles

There are two types of regular volunteer roles.

Grocery Support:

  • Working alongside our Warehouse Manager, this role involves sorting food donations, helping with stock management, making up grocery support packages and helping break down bulk food items into smaller quantities.
  • Our volunteers interact with our clients daily.
  • Weekdays, 9am to 2pm.

Van Run:

  • This role involves delivering groceries to clients, picking up food donations from around Tauranga, and other general tasks we may need.
  • There will always be two people per van run.
  • Weekdays, 9am to 12pm-ish (depending on traffic etc).

If you would like to apply, you can do that now:

Complete the online form

Download an application form

Request a physical form