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The 2025 Bay of Plenty Times Christmas Appeal is off to an “amazing” start, giving the Tauranga Community Foodbank team a boost in the busy run-up to Christmas.

The community has donated thousands of dollars and hundreds of items to the foodbank in the first week.

The annual six-week appeal kicked off on November 15, supported by The Hits Bay of Plenty 95.0FM and SunLive.

As of 10am Friday, the foodbank had received a total of $22,024.63 in donated food and money.

This breaks down to $20,203.63 in cash donations and 607 grocery items, valued at an average $3 each by the foodbank.

This is ahead of the week-one tally last year when $10,853.93 had been donated, through $9446.93 in cash donations and 469 food items.

Last year’s appeal saw a record-breaking $316,904.17 in donations total – $220,586.17 in cash and $96,318 worth of food from 32,106 items.

Tauranga Community Foodbank general manager Nicki Goodwin said it had been an “amazing” first week.

“Thank you so much to all you early donors, certainly puts a spring in our step.”

Tauranga Community Foodbank general manager Nicki Goodwin says when donations are given, her team take the best care of them. Photo / Alex Cairns

She wanted to remind the community that donations went directly towards the purchase of staple food items.

“That is the crux of this appeal: we need the community because all donations go on food.”

The foodbank’s monthly food bill was $21,500, and it had seen a 70% increase in food costs since 2022.

“The increased budget of what we need to find is why we’re reaching out through this appeal,” Goodwin said.

“We work super hard to get the very best prices for healthy and nutritious foods.”

Goodwin said the foodbank usually runs with more than 75 volunteers rostered each week, but this number would grow to 100 in the lead-up to Christmas.

“Nothing would happen without them, and the equality and respect they share with every person visiting the foodbank is inspirational.”

The Tauranga Community Foodbank has supported 23,618 people in the past year and has distributed 9520 kai packages.

On average, 770 households each month sought support with food.

Those helped included more than 11,000 children and 27% of people supported had never used the foodbank service before.

“Families in our community are grateful for your donations, and we will take great care of them.”

Cash donations were also welcome.

The last official donation day for the Christmas Appeal is December 24.

Christmas Appeal donation wishlist 2025

• Cereals
• Spreads
• Tinned fish
• Muesli bars
• Cocoa and icing sugar
• Coffee and drinking chocolate
• Deodorant
• Christmas treats
• Other items are also welcomed, as long as they are not expired, opened or damaged.

 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.