Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Sallies forced to quit Christmas hampers
The cost of living crisis has forced The Salvation Army New Zealand to make a national decision to stop providing its traditional Christmas meal hampers.
It’s possibly the first year it’s had to make the call but divisional director for community ministries Vikki Stevenson said the organisation couldn’t justify the cost of the Christmas treats when an increasing number of Kiwis needed everyday grocery items. This comes as The Salvation Army released its State of our Communities 2023 report this week, with respondents highlighting unaffordable housing, and soaring prices of essentials like food, petrol and power as their main concerns.
“Food shortage is a big thing, even people with jobs are finding it hard and have nowhere to turn to,” one respondent shared.
Traditionally, The Salvation Army would identify families it was already working with as recipients of hampers made up of contents for a Christmas meal.
“Nationally, it costs a lot of money to do that,” Stevenson said.
The organisation would still be distributing the usual food bank parcels, and she hoped some treats could be included in these over the coming weeks.
Some communities would also be able to continue Christmas hampers with the help of community donations and the Kmart Wishing Tree appeal was going ahead. Online shoppers could also donate through the Countdown Foodbank Project, Stevenson said.
As the cost of living crisis began impacting more people, Stevenson said food banks were seeing new faces that hadn’t needed their help before. They were also dealing with a lot more mental health cases, she said.
“We’re not a mental health provider, but
we support the people that come through our door.”
Demand for food bank support is soaring nationally, with a New Zealand Food Network survey in May finding that the people needing to access foodbanks had risen 165% since before the Covid-19 pandemic began. While food price inflation is
slowing somewhat, it still rose 9.6% in the 12 months to July 2023.
Salvation Army social policy analyst Ana Ika said this was being exacerbated by the affordability and availability of housing as communities grapple with rising crime levels and challenges accessing healthcare and mental health support.
“It remains paramount that we keep the pressing issues faced by local communities in the spotlight,” Ika said. “It’s the collective responsibility of our communities’ local and national governments to come together to tackle these challenges head-on, ensuring a better future for all New Zealanders.”