Auckland's bare food bank shelves leave groups crying out for support this winter

Thursday, 27 June 2019

A variety of different bundles can be purchased online at The Foodbank Project to help those in need.

Food banks are desperate for support, with shelves sitting bare as winter sets in.

Information released by The Salvation Army showed a shortage of many basic household items across the city, including toothbrushes and toothpaste in Waitākere.

Donated items are delivered by Countdown staff to Foodbank Project's hubs around the country.

In Glenfield, food banks were short on milk while Royal Oak food banks were struggling to get their hands on tinned food.

Salvation Army national program manager Jono Bell said when money got tight, the essentials were often the first things families went without.

The Salvation Army has a number of food banks across the city.

* Editorial: Kiwis shouldn't freeze to eat, starve to heat

* New Zealanders hungry and cold in their own homes this winter**

'We find toiletry items like women's sanitary products, soaps, toothpaste are items people choose to go without so that's an area of demand,' Bell said.

'I was in a food bank last week, and gosh, there were empty shelves. There's a huge amount of pressure and we're not keeping up with the demand.'

That comes despite the organisation recently ticking over $1 million in donations in four years through the Foodbank Project.

The project, which also involves supermarket chain Countdown, began in 2015 and is an online shop where people can donate money for groceries.

It has 69 food bank hubs around the country where people can go to get what they need.

Last year it distributed 62,000 parcels.

Bell said he was noticing two issues at the moment: High housing costs and families being hit with the extra expenses of winter, including heating.

'People are faced with the question of 'do we pay our bill or do we reduce our food intake?'. That's what we see.

'When it comes to that grocery bill, they've got a whole lot they need to pay next week.'

He encouraged anyone who cared about the issue to dip into their pockets this winter.

'If we don't have much on our shelves, there's very little we can give. We're very dependent on the generosity of New Zealanders.'

People wanting to donate can do so online at The Foodbank Project. They can also donate money at any Countdown checkout or leave items in the food rescue bins.

People can apply to receive a parcel at their local Foodbank project centre.