The Salvation Army has made it easier for people to donate food for families in direct need this winter, by clicking onto a special foodbank website. A joint initiative between the Salvation Army, software developer Lucid and Countdown supermarkets, the website has made donating simpler. So far, donations have passed the $1 million mark, but the Salvation Army says more help is needed.
The Salvation Army's foodbank.org.nz website has made donating easier, at a time when whānau are finding it difficult to provide kai for their families.
Hana Seedan, who is the lead coordinator of the Salvation Army's Māori initiative says, "Over the years, I've seen many, many whānau who really just want to be able to provide for their whānau, to aspire to the things that every other whānau aspire to.
"If you look at the statistics, overall we're seeing 120,000 people in general through the mahi of the Salvation Army," she says.
"Out of that, if you have a look at the national statistics, over 48.1% of the people we work with are Māori whānau. Obviously, it depends what region you're in. For example, in Te Taitokerau, in Whangarei and some of the areas where we're working, up to 80% of the people that we're seeing are Māori."
The Salvation Army says they are grateful for the community's support to provide kai, as it makes the world of difference for whānau.
"We've been often relying on the generosity of the community to meet those needs, but many times, personally, we're using all sorts of resources to try and find the things that whānau need. Because it's important, it's the difference between having lunch to take to school, even going to school that day because of kai," says Seedan.
Since the website's launch in 2015, they've provided more than 33,000 food parcels to Kiwi families. "Sometimes you might feel that your little koha is nothing, your $5, your $20, is nothing. But, I can tell you, when all of us take it seriously to be able to tautoko the community, when it's all our issue, that's when we start to see things change," says Seedan.
It takes less than two minutes to donate, with a range of different bundles to choose from.