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The head of KidsCan says people need to stop judging families who need help.
Back to school costs have been of increasing concern this year, with organisations like the New Zealand Māori Council highlighting the struggles faced by whānau.
Julie Chapman says her organisation is currently feeding 30,000 children, with one in five children in the low decile schools it serves coming to school hungry.
The charity also supplies shoes, raincoats and basic health and hygiene products, including 22,000 feminine hygiene packages last year for girls who otherwise were skipping up to a week of school a month when they have their periods.
"Some people say to me 'it's a hand out, it's the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.' It's not that. It's about investing in children to ensure they get to school and have the best opportunity to perhaps do better than their parents did. Their parents probably didn't have this kind of support. Let's stop the blame game, let's help the kids and get them in a better position," Ms Chapman says.
KidsCan has about 12,000 regular donors.
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