Salvation Army Faces Higher Cost of Helping

The cost of providing Salvation Army food parcels of various sizes has risen significantly since last year, in one case more than threefold, with the organisation worried about meeting growing demand. 

The Salvation Army launched its Winter Appeal today, which aims to provide essential support to families in need during the challenging winter months and in the midst of recession, high inflation and housing costs.  

“The cost-of-living crisis continues to place immense strain on families across the country,” says Assistant Territorial Secretary for Mission Lt. Colonel Lynette Hutson. 

“At the same time, The Salvation Army itself is grappling with ballooning food and grocery prices and increasing costs associated with its other community-based social services including supported accommodation, financial mentoring and counselling, addiction services and Positive Lifestyle Programmes.”   

A donor who gave $30 last year, for example, would have supported the purchase of a small food parcel. Today the same donation would contribute to less than one third of the same food parcel which now costs $100. Similarly, a medium food parcel that cost $60 last year is now $160, while a large food parcel has risen from $90 last year to $220 today.   

“Our food parcels are a constant lifeline to New Zealand families in need, helping to keep them sustained and nourished,” says Lt. Colonel Lynette Hutson. “But it feels like we are in a perfect storm at the moment with our costs rising, the level of need in the community expected to increase and donors having less money to give,”  

“Our mission is to help vulnerable people, supported in our work by generous donors. In the current difficult economic environment, all we can do is ask that those who are able, give what support they can.”  

More information about the Winter Appeal, including how to donate, is available on The Salvation Army website: https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/winterappeal

The Salvation Army Territorial Media Officer, 021 945 337, email: media@salvationarmy.org.nz (The Media Officer responds to enquiries from media outlets and journalists. If you would like to donate, are in need of help, or have some other non-media-related enquiry, please call 0800 53 00 00.)