Countdown and The Salvation Army have teamed up for their annual Countdown Food Rescue Christmas Appeal to help the growing number of New Zealanders for whom food is a wish list item this Christmas.
To launch the appeal, all 184 Countdown stores will each donate $500 worth of groceries to their local Salvation Army, contributing $92,000 of groceries to support The Salvation Army’s foodbanks nationally.
Customers can also make a food donation in specially marked trolleys in-store, or via The Foodbank Project online. Last year more than 674 trolleys full of food donated by customers were given to The Salvation Army, helping meet the needs of 17,000 families and individuals who seek help for food assistance at Christmas.
The Salvation Army’s National Secretary for Social Services, Major Pamela Waugh, says a range of factors including the rising cost of living and cost of housing, as well as increased debt levels, contribute to Kiwis being in financial difficulty, particularly during the Christmas period.
Most-needed food items for the Countdown Food Rescue Christmas Appeal are:
- Canned goods e.g. baked beans, spaghetti and tomatoes
- Toiletries e.g. soap, shampoo, moisturiser and beauty essentials
- Pasta and rice
- Sugar, flour and spread
- Jellies
- Tinned fruit
- Baby food
- Tea, Coffee, Milo
- Christmas treats e.g. Chocolates, Christmas mince pies, sweet treats
People can donate instore or online at New Zealand’s only online foodbank, The Foodbank Project www.foodbank.org.nz. Since launching in 2015, nearly $400,000 of food and sanitary items have been donated via the site, which are distributed via eight Salvation Army hubs around New Zealand.
The appeal is part of Countdown’s Food Rescue programme that donates around $3.7 million in food each year to food bank partners including The Salvation Army, and a further $2.1 million of food scraps to farmers for their animals annually.
