Christmas Appeal: Rotorua Salvation Army Foodbank finds new people in need after adding late-night service

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A late-night foodbank service introduced to make support easier to access has uncovered a growing need, often among working Rotorua families. The Rotorua Salvation Army Foodbank…

A late-night foodbank service introduced to make support easier to access has uncovered a growing need, often among working Rotorua families.

The Rotorua Salvation Army Foodbank launched a Thursday evening service in August after identifying that new daytime parking charges had become a barrier for some people to seek help.

Community ministries manager Darnielle Hoods said the late appointments at its choice-model supermarket had been fully booked most weeks since, with demand rising and a new group of working families accessing support.

Hoods said asking for help was a “big step” for many families the service supported and it wanted to remove barriers.

“Sometimes we underestimate what $2 means to someone who has very little to begin with.”

The new late appointments run until 7.45pm, allowing clients to access support after work and take advantage of free parking after 5pm.

“For us, accessibility isn’t just about having a service available, but about making sure people can actually access it,” Hoods said.

“We might not be able to change every circumstance that comes through our doors, but we can look at what we can do differently to make things easier.”

Hoods said the response to the service was “encouraging” and had also unearthed new clientele.

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