It's a hot day inside the Tauranga Community Foodbank's new Brook St premises.
As part of the Bay of Plenty Times Christmas Appeal, I'm at the foodbank to volunteer for a morning and have been assigned to make up little bags of milk powder for the food parcels.
I begin filling each of the small plastic bags with one cup of milk powder. Neat instruction labels are pre-fixed to the bags by another volunteer, Col Cheyne, then the bags are sealed and placed in a cardboard box.
It's monotonous work but Mrs Cheyne makes it go quickly with her friendly conversation - add in the banter from the other volunteers and you barely notice the work.
Mrs Cheyne and her husband Ron signed up to be foodbank volunteers last year to give back to the community.
"We thought we wanted to do something for the community, so this is what we do," Mr Cheyne said. "Originally we thought it wouldn't really be for us, but when we got here, we really found we enjoyed it. We felt that we were part of a team."
Mr and Mrs Cheyne had to wait until spaces opened up.
"We've been here just over a year now, since September last year," Mrs Cheyne said.
Mr Cheyne said he and his wife got satisfaction from doing something for the community and helping such a worthy cause, and they appreciated how well-managed the foodbank is by manager Nicki Goodwin and its board.
"We enjoy the whole aspect of it. It's well run and that's where it starts. If she [Mrs Goodwin] wasn't on her game, it wouldn't work."
Since moving to the new building, the volunteers have the space to pre-pack food parcels. At their Dive Cres premises, the parcels were made on the spot as clients arrived.
Last year, the couple took part in the Bay of Plenty Times can drive. Mrs Cheyne has fond memories of the occasion - as a new volunteer, it was heartwarming for her to see all the food coming in from the community.
One incident that sticks in her mind was of a woman who signed a $300 cheque to the foodbank, saying she was returning the favour the foodbank paid her when she fell on hard times.
While I was out the back packing milk powder on Thursday, two individuals visited Nicki with $1000 cheques.
"They feel like they've been able to give back from when they needed help. That's so special," Mrs Goodwin said.
The Bay of Plenty Times Christmas Appeal has got off to a cracker start, passing the $15,000 mark on Friday. Mrs Goodwin said businesses were contributing earlier this year which was a great help.
"We feel like the community has our back well which is really good."