MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release

— Wellington, Friday, 13 February 2009
Issued on the Authority of Commissioner Garth McKenzie (Territorial Commander)
The Salvation Army, New Zealand Fiji & Tonga Territory

Number of families receiving food parcels jumps 38 per cent

The recession appears to be driving a greater number of families into poverty with the latest Salvation Army figures showing a 38 per cent jump in the number of families seeking food aid in last quarter of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007.

In the fourth quarter of 2007, 5044 New Zealand families received food parcels from The Salvation Army. In the last three months of 2008, the number swelled to 6977.

The Salvation Army saw a more dramatic increase in the number of individual food parcels it distributed in the last three months of 2008, up 43 per cent to 9118 compared to 6359 in 2007. In addition, The Salvation Army provided 3600 hampers to struggling families in the run-up to Christmas.

While figures collected for January 2009 are provisional, they indicate a 23 per cent increase on the number of food parcels distributed compared to January 2007.

“We are able to meet current demand, but we’re concerned that little has been done over the past decade to address the inadequacy of benefit levels,” Salvation Army social policy spokesman Major Campbell Roberts said.

“After a period of prosperity and job growth, it now appears that the number of children living in beneficiary families is again on the rise and we’re worried more of them will be living in deprivation and material hardship unless policy-makers act.”

At The Salvation Army’s South Auckland centre in Manukau, the number of families receiving food parcels jumped from 964 in the last quarter of 2007 to 1443 for the same period in 2008. Food parcels distributed increased from 1247 to 2035. The number of families receiving food parcels on the North Shore rose 65 per cent from 270 to 446.

Families in Whangarei receiving food assistance in December rose from 297 to 486 for the period.

The Salvation Army in Napier saw demand for food assistance spike in the last quarter of 2008, rising from 20 families in 2007 to 106 in 2008.

The number of families receiving food parcels in Palmerston North leapt 90 per cent from 161 in the last three months of 2007 to 306 in 2008.

While The Salvation Army’s greater Wellington ministries saw steady increases in demand, the number of families receiving food parcels for the fourth quarter in Upper Hutt jumped from 47 families in 2007 to 83 in 2008.

In Christchurch at The Salvation Army Hope Centre, the number of families receiving food aid rose from 292 in the fourth quarter 2007 to 427. The Salvation Army in the Christchurch suburb of Hornby provided food parcels in the 2008 fourth quarter to 135 families compared to 81 in for the same period in 2007.

Timaru experienced a 33 per cent increase with the number of families receiving food parcels rising from 156 to 208.

The Salvation Army has the most extensive food bank network in New Zealand with 48 community centres and 106 churches offering food parcels, budget advice and counselling.

ENDS

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