Have some cans handy - Taranaki foodbanks will be out collecting during their annual drive this evening. The New Plymouth branch is expecting to fill 250 banana boxes with goodies in the three-hour appeal. We have a generous community. The food drive has been going for over 20 years and its a very popular event, foodbank appeal co-ordinator Mike Merrick said. The appeal is held in the first week of December when people are feeling festive, and stocks have been relatively depleted. Mr Merrick is expecting an assortment of things, and will accept it all. If we cant use it, we can generally find an organisation that can. We have a good network, but the majority we can use, he said. Among last years hoard, the foodbank received some oddities including two buckets of paint, a large bucket of golf balls and a box of expired condoms. Christmas treats, such as crackers, scorched almonds and mince pies will also start coming in which will go out in food parcels over the next couple of months. Closer to Christmas people also deliver presents, which are wrapped and tagged at the foodbank. Youll get people who go to The Warehouse for their children and will get presents for children who come to the foodbank, he said. About 180 volunteers make the drive possible, helping out with collections, providing vehicles or sorting through the goods tomorrow. But volunteers are not hard to come by, some having contributed for over 15 years. Rodney Maiden, from Hooker Pacific, may be one of the longest-serving people, arranging collection trucks in New Plymouth each year. On average the New Plymouth foodbank serves 24 people a week, which may rise slightly before Christmas. However Mr Merrick said the big spike will be in February, when kids go back to school and Christmas debt lingers. The stock will probably last for seven months, and will be constantly supplemented by churches, schools and individuals. The drive will begin from 5.30pm in towns around Taranaki.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 19:26:59 +0000
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