A Very Kai-wi Christmas!

Kiwis are showing their love this holiday season in the most Kiwi of ways, by sharing kai.

More than two and a half tonnes of kumara and potatoes have already been donated towards Christmas roasts across Aotearoa this year, likely to be chased down with a classic Kiwi trifle made from the 380 kilos of custard powder also donated so far.

In what has been a challenging year for many, Kiwis are still showing they care with a record $150,000 worth of food donated in the first week of this year’s Foodbank Project Christmas appeal, run each year by the Salvation Army and Countdown in the lead up to Christmas.

In addition to the main course, 1,268 packets of onion soup and cans of condensed milk will combine to make nearly 300 litres of onion dip, and 304 kilos of scorched almonds will be sure to add a little Christmas sweetness for families in need.

“This is an amazing response for the first week of our appeal, and we are absolutely blown away by the generosity of Kiwis helping us pull this together,” said Jono Bell, Head of Community Ministries for The Salvation Army

“We’re seeing donations ranging from a bottle of tomato sauce right through to large Christmas parcels, and every single one will make things just that little bit easier for people doing it tough over Christmas. It’s been an amazing start and I hope we keep the momentum going,” Jono says.

The Salvation Army say 2021 is set to be their busiest Christmas yet, with around 10,000 food parcels expected to be distributed by Salvation Army food banks across the country.

“This year of all years Kiwis deserve a little something special for Christmas, and we are so proud to be a small part of making this happen,” said Kiri Hannifin Countdown’s Director, Corporate Affairs, Safety and Sustainability.

The Foodbank Project is New Zealand’s only online foodbank, where donors choose from a range of products most needed for food parcels. Items include fresh produce, meat and dairy items ordered through Countdown, who provide the food at cost and pack and deliver it free to the nearest Salvation Army foodbank.

This year’s Christmas appeal runs until 12 December. To donate, people can head to www.foodbank.org.nz or in the specially marked trolley in store at Countdown from Monday 22 November.

Notes:

Over 12,500 individual items were donated in the first week of the Foodbank Project Christmas appeal

Very Kiwi donations so far have included:

735 cans of peaches

1,200 Pavlovas

304 kilos of Scorched almonds

1,280 kilos of Kumara

1,408 kilos of potatoes

1,268 packets of Onion soup and tins of Reduced cream

380 kilos of Edmonds custard powder

110 bottles of Tomato sauce

80 tins of Milo

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