The thieves cleared out all the food and caused extensive damage to the pantry next to St Faith's Church in New Brighton.

The move prompted a wave of support from the local community.

Destruction left behind

The food bank, founded by Trudy Burrows seven years ago, was broken into and completely looted.

Burrows described the scene, saying "They cleared us out, smashed eggs everywhere and left a real mess."

She said the thieves smashed everything they didn't take.

They also covered the security cameras, making it impossible to identify them.

Despite the pantry having "big locks and an iron bar", Burrows believes the thieves were skilled in their break-in, causing the food bank to rethink its security measures.

"I don't understand the motive behind it, there was no reason for it" said Burrows.

Community steps up

In the wake of the break-in, Burrows turned to the New Brighton community for help, posting on a local Facebook page to ask for donations.

She describes the response as overwhelming.

"The community was great, (people) went into their pantries and tried to find old things they had or didn't want anymore" Burrows said.

"Some even brought fresh produce from their gardens."

Carolyn Tauailoto, a volunteer at the food bank, was moved by the outpouring of generosity.

"The community really relies on us" she said.

"Strangers came with bags and bags of canned goods and vegetables."

Fear of future theft

Despite the community's swift response, volunteers are wary of leaving food at the pantry overnight, fearing it may be targeted again. "It's just human nature, which is kind of sad" Tauailoto said.

According to the New Zealand Food Network, the rising cost of living and unemployment are the main reasons people rely on food banks.

Source

• Star News

Catholic Social Services says the cost of essential food items and a lack of donations were behind the decision to close.

"It's terribly sad that our efforts to feed those who cannot afford food ceased because it had become unaffordable" says Simon Thompson, general manager of the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch.

"The difficult decision came after 12 months of effort to find additional funding streams.

"With Catholic Social Services receiving very few donations of food and only a tiny discount from supermarkets, it was no longer financially viable to operate the food bank.''

At the time the food bank closed down, it was able to supply only about a dozen food parcels which volunteers were delivering each week to people in need.

Thompson says people seeking food parcels from Catholic Social Services should try approaching St Vincent de Paul (Vinnies) which is its partner organisation.

Although the food bank has closed, Catholic Social Services is planning to reopen its soup kitchen programme soon.

Catholic Social Services offers a range of programmes through its Christchurch agency.

These include promoting a holistic approach by offering many things - ounselling, social work support, group courses for children and adults, advice about budgeting/advocacy, practical needs advice and assistance, and post-adoption services.

Source

• Otago Daily Times

It is a call to action.

In its 13th year, 300 volunteers will take to the streets of Marlborough behind a fire truck on Monday night, calling on households to donate to the Foodbank Street Appeal for people in need this Christmas.

Marlborough Foodbank manager Wynnie Cosgrove said non-perishable food would be the focus of the appeal, including items such as canned beans and fruits, packaged rice and pasta, cereal and oats.

Sometimes additional "treats" came in, such as soap or shampoo, but Cosgrove said food was the most important. Continue reading