Hundreds sit down to giant community lunches, as need soars

As more than 700 people sit down to community Christmas Day lunches, the levels of need in the community this year are the worst it has been, both Auckland and Wellington city missioners say.

Auckland

The Auckland City Mission will feed about 500 people on 25 December, from its Auckland headquarters.

They have also supplied 7000 Christmas food parcels and some 30,000 presents during the past two weeks, the mission's chief executive Helen Robinson said.

She says none of it would be possible without scores of volunteers, with dozens there today, and many more involved in the lead up to today.

But she says even with the help of thousands of volunteers, the mission was pushed to capacity.

The need this year is the worst she has seen it, Robinson said.

"Unfortunately because of our resource capacity, that is the most of what we're able to do, and very very sadly, at Eden Park we were at our limit before the first day already opened.

"So the need is just so much bigger than what we're able to meet."

Robinson said a recent health study showed that the families of one in four New Zealand children did have enough money for food.

"I'm incredibly conscious of how many people are struggling this year. It becomes very poignant on Christmas Day and in the weeks leading up to it," Robinson said.

She said it had been three years since the mission opened its HomeGround community space and they had provided meals for 400-500 people a day since.

"In an ideal world, we'd be closing down a food bank not growing it."

The team at the mission took a different approach for its Christmas lunch this year.

This morning 20 volunteers have been preparing and serving fish and chips, noodles and spring rolls, and ice cream at pop-up stations around the HomeGround community space.

Instead of queuing up for a plate of food, people could visit different stations and help themselves to a buffet meal and desserts in the dining room.

One volunteer, who had been helping out on Christmas day for five years, welcomed the change.

"We're serving ice cream and pancakes today and they're the best in all of Auckland. We've gone through 30 tubs of ice cream."

"Everyone has been happy and cheerful and it's great to see everyone smiling."

The lead of the City Mission's community kitchen, Raymond Salakaia, said the new approach gave people more agency, and the morning had run smoothly.

Wellington

The Wellington City Mission also reported unprecedented demand for its services at Christmas this year.

Around 200 people were set to gather at the mission on Christmas Day to share a feast together, including both visitors and residents of Whakamaru, the Mission's new transitional housing facility

The first 100 people were scheduled to arrive at midday, and the second lot of 100 at 1.30pm. The menu included ham, turkey, vegetables, and lots of Christmas goodies.

Missioner Murray Edridge said this year the economic situation was the hardest he had seen it for people, due to the cost of living crisis.

He said the mission had been operating at extended hours, due to the demand.

"It's really really tough out there for people, and we've seen unprecedented demand for our services" Edridge said.

"We've had our social supermarket operating into the evenings - extended hours, operating on a Saturday, just to ensure that people have what they need on Christmas Day."

It was difficult to help all those who need to be helped, he said.

"The city mission this year has celebrated our 120 year anniversary, which is an awesome milestone, except disappointingly ... for two reasons: one is that we're still here after 120 years, and still needed to be here; and secondly, when you look back at that 120 years, there would only be three or four occasions - I suspect - when life was harder than it is at the moment."