26 July 2010

For immediate release

Donors generous but food stocks low

Blankets and bedding have been flooding into the Auckland City Mission this winter, but food stocks are perilously low. The Mission is appealing to the public to donate cans of food at any ASB branch in the greater Auckland area as part of this winter’s ‘Can-it’ campaign

“Food donations were down by 11% over the past 12 months,” says Diane Robertson, City Missioner, “Even though we have increased our food purchases by 18% we still have a third less food on our shelves than we had this time last year.”

“We really have our fingers crossed that the public will join with ASB in the ‘Can-it’ initiative,” she says. ‘Demand continues to grow and we just don’t have enough food to keep giving it out at this rate.”

‘Can-it’ uses ASB branches all over the greater Auckland region, from Wellsford and Warkworth in the north to Pukekohe and Waiuku in the south, as collection points for food donations. Members of the public are encouraged to drop off a can of food, or any other non-perishable food item, in the boxes displayed in branch to help boost Mission stocks.

Donated food is used in the Mission’s Emergency Food Parcels and distributed across the whole region through the Mission’s Foodlink network – supplying food to 60 community foodbanks from Thames to Kaitaia.
·         Last year Auckland City Mission distributed more than $2,200,000 worth of food

·         7,752 Emergency Food Parcels were issued by the Mission in the year to 31 June 2010, providing groceries, meat and vegetables to 52,650 Aucklanders.
ENDS

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