Frequently Asked Questions

The below questions are our most frequently asked questions at The Foodbank Project. If your question hasn't been answered below, please get in touch through the contact us page.

In 2020 our Salvation Army foodbanks provided over 113,000 food parcels to individuals and families in need across New Zealand, which is just under 2,000 food parcels each week. Our foodbanks are always in need of food for our individuals and families who are facing sudden, unexpected costs as well as facing job loss, health problems or vehicle repairs.

The demand for food increases during certain times of the year including winter, as people face additional heating costs, travel and medical costs and also in February as many people struggle to cover the cost of Christmas, summer holidays and back to school costs.

Often we hear that people who come to us for food are worried whether they can feed themselves or their families or if they will be forced to choose between food and other life essentials.

People from all walks of life come through the doors of The Salvation Army looking for help with food. We see many individuals, solo parents, small and large families and those who are in work and those who aren’t.

The services that The Salvation Army provides focus on offering a hand up not a hand out. Many people come to our foodbanks for a one off food parcel to get them through a rough week/patch, however for someone to receive food assistance for a prolonged period, they will meet with one of our Social Workers to assess what further support we can offer. 


Providing food parcels is just one of the ways The Salvation Army gives hope to Kiwis in need. When someone comes to us for help, we ensure that they are also provided with any of our other wraparound services they may need such as budgeting help, support with overcoming addictions, housing support, spiritual care and more.

Food parcels are packed each week with key non-perishable items such as canned food, rice, cereals and other essential grocery items. Fresh items such as fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy and bread are added to the food parcel just before they are collected by our people. Hygiene & cleaning products are also available depending on the clients needs.

The Salvation Army is proudly supported by Countdown, who supplies most of the food and other items that go into a food parcel. Each item that is donated for a food bank across New Zealand is purchased using your donations and packed from the closest Countdown store. Countdown then delivers these items to the food bank ready for them to be packed.

The food parcels are packed by a team of staff and volunteers from all walks of life. They include people who’ve previously received food or other help, members of community organisations and staff from varying businesses across New Zealand. In some places, people in community service also help to pack.

Donations made to The Foodbank Project are delivered to The Salvation Army’s food banks across New Zealand Kaitaia to Invercargill.

Due to the incredible support of our donors in the last 5 years, we are proud to have extended our foodbank locations and are now offering the support of The Foodbank Project in 40+ Salvation Army Food Banks.

We are regularly updated by our Salvation Army food banks of the need they have in their local community, therefore the products available on the website are a reflection of this.

We also provide special occasion bundles to provide a treat that can be included in food parcels at particular times of the year including Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Prices are subject to change and can be reviewed at any time. All products and prices listed on The Foodbank Project  are sourced directly from the Countdown website.

Where a product is discounted further by Countdown at the time of purchase, it will be supplied to The Foodbank Project at the lower price with the difference retained by The Salvation Army as a donation to buy additional food for foodbanks. Countdown also waives delivery fees on The Foodbank Project orders and gives The Salvation Army a discount on the price of each donated order, which is used to help meet the costs of The Foodbank Project.

Prices listed are reviewed quarterly to make sure they are as accurately priced as possible. Where a major price change impacts recurring donations, we will contact donors to seek permission to update their regular donations.

We’re glad you asked! Setting up a recurring donation is easy and makes such a huge difference to our foodbanks. Follow the below instructions on how to set one up:

1. Select the product/s you wish to donate regularly
2. Click donate and wait until the items have been added to your cart
3. Proceed to checkout in your cart and tick the box that says "make recurring"

4. Choose the frequency which you would like to make the donation and then choose where you would like to send it to.

5. Enter your personal details needed to complete the payment
6. Once payment has been processed your recurring subscription has been set up!

7. If you need to make any changes to your recurring donation, you can do so in your account

To donate food items through The Foodbank Project website you will need a debit or credit card. If you don’t have a credit or debit card and you’d like to support The Foodbank Project you can donate online to our bank account, please get in touch with our team through our contact form for more information.

To change any details on your account, please log in to your account using the email address and password you chose when you made your first donation (if you have any troubles with this please contact us through our contact form). From your account dashboard, select ‘manage subscriptions’ and this will take you to your subscription dashboard.

You can change any details you wish in this dashboard including which items you want to donate, your donation frequency and also all your personal information needed for your donation.

We will provide a summary receipt each year to all donors who make a donation in the tax year (April 1-March 31). This summary receipt will replace all individual receipts which you automatically receive after each donation made online.

If you have any problems with your receipt, please contact us through our contact form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

By making a cash donation to The Foodbank Project, you will provide critical funds to help cover the running costs of The Salvation Army’s foodbanks. 

Your funds will cover the costs of things such as:

>Support to increase capacity for food storage

>Covering any food shortages

>Electricity for food storage

>New fridges and freezers for keeping food safe and fresh

>Pantry storage

>Racks and pallets

Your financial support ensures we can continue to provide these critical services to our foodbanks.