$1000 Donated to Bellyful Tauranga

Last Christmas, we launched A Starry Night in Bethlehem, our very own storybook, inspired by the magic of Christmas at Bethlehem Town Centre. Full of beautiful illustrations featuring our popular decorations – and Santa – coming to life at night, it’s available (all year) at PaperPlus for just $5, with 100% of sales donated to local charitable groups.

And, thanks to your incredible support, not only did we make donations to Tauranga Women’s Refuge and Home Start to help make Christmas more special for some awesome kids… there’s more!

We’re thrilled to share that a further $1000 has been donated to Bellyful Tauranga, who help our community connect by delivering free meals to families with babies and young children who are without a support network or facing a tough time.

From the team at Bellyful:

Bellyful Tauranga – Filling Bellies, Warming Hearts

Bellyful is a volunteer-led charity nourishing whānau and connecting communities by delivering free meals to families with babies and young children who are without a support network.

Bellyful provides free meals to whānau with babies or children under 12 who are facing tough times – whether it’s illness, bereavement, stress, isolation, pregnancy, miscarriage, or baby loss. Our support is for families without a strong support network, regardless of their financial situation.

A few ready-to-eat meals, delivered by a friendly face, can be a real sanity-saver during overwhelming moments.

Thanks to our incredible volunteers, sponsors, and supporters, Bellyful is delivering care and connection to families in 25 communities across Aotearoa – all completely free of charge.

Since 2012, Bellyful Tauranga has been quietly supporting local families through some of life’s toughest moments. We’re one of 25 Bellyful branches across New Zealand and cover a large area – from Katikati to Te Puke – making us one of the busiest in the country.

A Huge Thank You to Bethlehem Town Centre
We’re thrilled to thank Bethlehem Town Centre for their generous $1,000 donation to Bellyful Tauranga. This support helps us buy ingredients and packaging so our volunteers can keep doing what they do best – cooking and delivering meals to local whānau who need a hand.

By the Numbers – Bellyful Tauranga’s Impact

In 2024, our amazing team of 68 volunteers:

• Delivered 3,366 meals to 601 families
• Supplied 386 meals to the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU)

Since our beginnings nearly 13 years ago, we’ve delivered:

• Over 22,000 meals
• To more than 4,500 families

With your continued support, we’ll keep filling bellies and warming hearts across the Bay.

If you’d like to volunteer, refer a family, or learn more, visit bellyful.org.nz.