Australia-based mortgage company Bluestone Home Loans and Select Home Loans have joined hands with the Auckland City Mission to provide food for the less fortunate families over the Christmas period.
For the entire month of November, Bluestone and Select BDMs are collecting non-perishable food items and toiletries for those in need. With one in five Auckland families struggling to put food on the table, the Auckland City Mission distributed 45,000 emergency food parcels last year.
The emergency food parcels contain enough nutritious food, such as meat, dairy products, bread, fresh fruit, and vegetables, as well as a range of pantry staples such as pasta, rice, tinned vegetables, tea, flour, and cereal, to feed a family of four, for up to four days.
Items such as baby food, nappies, toilet rolls, soap, shampoo, tampons, sanitary pads, and deodorant can also be donated.
“We know that many New Zealanders are doing it tough at the moment as interest rates and inflation rise but it’s truly sobering to realise that 20% of Auckland households are currently struggling to feed their families,” said Peter Wood, Bluestone’s managing director for New Zealand. “This struggle will be even more acute as the holiday season approaches. We’re hoping that collecting food and toiletries for the Auckland City Mission food drive is a simple but effective way to help make Christmas just that little bit easier for many Auckland families this year.”
