Robert and Carol Skelton have volunteered for the Te Awamutu Combined Churches Foodbank for seven years.

Seventeen community organisations waited with bated breath yesterday as the funds that they had applied for were allocated.

The Te Awamutu Community Board received 17 requests for funding from community groups, totalling $68,358.72.

Applications for the community board’s discretionary funding – which is available to community organisations that offer support or services – opened in February and closed late last month.

The community board had $30,800 to allocate, so not every organisation will have received the entirety, if any, of the funding they asked for.

The reasons for the funding requests vary from practical in nature, to charitable.

One request came from the Te Awamutu Combined Churches and Community Foodbank, which asked for $1000 to provide council rubbish bags and toiletries with the food parcels that they deliver.

Treasurer Maree Richardson told The News demand for food parcels had reached unprecedented levels, and although rubbish bags and toiletries were not a part of their core service, they had been identified as a significant necessity for the families they visit.

“When people call on the Foodbank for help, we know that we are a last resort and so can only surmise that they are unable to buy the essentials. Their budgets definitely won’t be allowing for extras such as council rubbish bags; shampoos and conditioners,” Richardson said.

The Parish of St John Te Awamutu requested $15,000 to paint the exterior of their parish hall, Menz Shed applied for $1240 to paint their building. The Te Awamutu Rugby Sports & Recreation Club asked for $900 to install a security camera. The Te Awamutu Brass Band hoped for $1000 for bathroom upgrades, and Hazelmere Kindergarten requested $5500 to replace their outdoor blinds.

The Māori Women’s Welfare League sought $2250 for their community garden, while the Rose Society asked for $870 to purchase more plants and labels.

Various programme and operational costs made up the bulk of the funding requests, totalling $33,894.70. The biggest request for funding came from the Te Awamutu Youth Development Trust, which sought almost $17,000 to assist in covering staff salaries. The Chamber of Commerce asked for $2700 to fund their Midnight of Madness event and the Te Awamutu RSA hoped for $4000 to fund their ANZAC commemorations and storage needs.

Update:

Out of the $30,819.17 of available funds, $21,614.02 was allocated.

Te Awamutu’s Brass band, Transport Trust, Community Menz Shed, Māori Women’s Welfare League, Rose Society, Sports and Recreation Club, and Community Hospice all received the totality of the funding they had applied for.

The Te Awamutu Foodbank received $500 out of the $1000 that they asked for. Councillor Susan O’Regan and board member Richard Hurrell both stated that the organisation could instead receive funding through the Ministry of Social Development.

Meanwhile, the Te Awamutu Chamber of Commerce did not receive any funding. They asked for $2700 to support their Midnight of Madness event, but their application didn’t clearly detail what this event was. Members stated that they did not want to allocate money for something that they had “no real understanding of.”

Te Tamawai Trust also missed out on their funding because they are based in Hamilton, despite serving in some areas of Waipā.

A total of $9205.15 in discretionary funding was left on the table.