City Mission volunteers at Eden Park in Auckland on 20 December 2023. Photo: RNZ / Felix Walton
More than 200 volunteers are working with the Auckland City Mission to distribute food parcels and toys throughout the city.
But inflation has them worrying about the cost of giving.
Rows of volunteers packed parcels with fruits, veggies, turkeys and pavlovas. Others wrapped teddy bears and cricket sets for little ones to open on Christmas day.
City Mission senior leader Jacqui Dillon said the parcels were destined for dinner tables throughout Auckland where families in need would enjoy them.
"We are distributing, alongside our partners, 8000 food parcels and [more than] 40,000 gifts for tamariki," she said. "That's what Christmas is all about, right?"
Volunteers like Jo Cooper made that magic happen. It was her second Christmas volunteering for Auckland City Mission.
"We've bagged so many vegetables I couldn't tell you. Potatoes, onions, carrots ... chickens, sausages, mince, pavlovas," she said.
"We've all been bagging it up, putting them in trolleys and wishing them a merry Christmas."
She got involved as a tribute to her mum.
"I'm one of nine children, my mum brought us up on her own. She always found some way to feed us or make our clothes," she said.
"If she was alive today maybe she would be pleased with what we're doing, and that's why I'm here. We know that there are people out there that are struggling. If what we do here [can provide] a little bit of ease, then that's a great day."
City Mission volunteer Mike Hillyer Photo: RNZ / Felix Walton
She was joined by Mike Hillyer, who started volunteering regularly after he retired.
"It seemed like a good use of my time to come in and do something helpful for people," he reasoned.
"I try and come in a couple times a week. There's the food but there's also gifts and things for children, for me to be able to contribute to part of that is nice."
Food dispatch and volunteer coordinator Anataia Fu said it was an enormous undertaking for the relatively small group.
"There's only so many hands," she said. "It's gotten to the point I'm actually bringing in my children to help with the service."
But the volunteers were enthusiastic and keen to help, Fu said.
"The general response from our volunteers is that it's a privilege to be in this space and directly help our whānau."
City Mission's Jacqui Dillon Photo: RNZ / Felix Walton
On the big day, Dillon said the charity would prepare hundreds of meals for people in the city centre.
"On Christmas morning we have our breakfast sitting for our street whānau at 8am," she said.
Then we have two further sittings for families and other community members which are all booked out. They'll total about 260 individuals per sitting."
She said the charity had been able to provide a similar amount of food to previous years, but demand was growing.
"We are holding our own but moving forward the need is growing. Year on year we simply are unable to meet the need that we're seeing," she said.
Inflation had also made the process more expensive. "It's not just the cost of food ... it's the cost of transportation, it's the cost of resourcing the organisation to provide the kai," she said.
"Without additional support, [the] worst case scenario is we will need to retrench."
In previous years, the food parcels had been available for anyone and everyone, but Dillon said the charity had reconsidered its open-door policy.
"Because of the challenges around funding this year we've reached out directly to whānau that we have had come to us over the year, so there's a demonstrated need," she explained.
"It's quite different to what we've been able to do in the past, but [those] limitations are imposed on us."
When the giving season was over, she worried donations would dry up.
"Hunger doesn't take a holiday, so whilst we're in the build-up to Christmas now ... on Boxing Day people are still waking up hungry."
She said the City Mission would keep feeding hungry Aucklanders for as long as it could.
