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National | Christmas

First NZ online food bank proves helpful in lead up to Christmas

A collaboration between a supermarket, a charity and a Nelson web developer has resulted in the establishment of New Zealand’s first online food bank.

The Foodbank Project was created by web developer Lucid, The Salvation Army and Countdown supermarkets and helps the Salvation Army to receive food donations quickly, easily and securely.

The project has been successful so far and is now being rolled out nationwide to families who need help from the Salvation Army food banks in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

The Salvation Army distributed almost 54,000 food parcels in the year to September, a 7.6 per cent increase on the previous year.

The Salvation Army’s head of social services Major Pam Waugh says, “Meeting this level of demand always proves to be a tough challenge but The Foodbank Project looks set to make a significant contribution.”

People can visit the website here and select from a list of the most needed grocery items or/and make a donation to cover the cost of a whole bundle.

Donations can be made as a one off, or for those wanting to give more, be set up as a recurring purchase.