Kai for Octacan 2025, annual foodbank appeal
Bring your cans or non-perishable food and toiletry items for the Family Works Foodbank, Dunedin's busiest foodbank:
Date: 19 June 2025, 7.30am - 2pm
Location: The Lower Octagon, Dunedin
Can't come to Octacan? You can still donate to support the foodbank!
Please drop cans directly to the Family Works Foodbank:
407 Moray Place Dunedin, Monday to Friday, 8.30am - 5pm
We are very grateful for all donations to our foodbank, at any time during during the year!
Or use the form at the bottom of this page to donate online, thank you!
Octacan is Presbyterian Support Otago’s major winter food drive and supports many local people through the colder months. This year we are holding Octacan just before the shortest day of the year on Thursday 19 June 2025, as we look forward to Matariki – the Māori New Year, which is the time of year harvest would traditionally have happened.
Kai for Octacan is our ‘harvest’, when we gather and secure food for those in our community who are grappling with the impact of hardship, and find they need the support of our Family Works Foodbank.
We invite you and your community to help us re-stock Dunedin’s busiest foodbank by donating cans of food.
Reaching out to the foodbank is often just the start of a someone’s journey with us. Our Family Works team understand everyone has a unique story, and we provide help that is tailored to each individual or family. Our social workers are seeing a growing number of working families seeking help. We help by providing food parcels, social work support, financial mentoring, support to find emergency housing, or by providing winter clothing.
Matariki is important as it signifies our connection to food resources and the environments they can be found in. Five of the Matariki stars are connected to areas of our environment where food is harvested. This year we will again be arranging donated cans into the shape of the Matariki cluster, and each star will represent a particular food group.
Getting involved is easy! You can start right now by donating online below or start gathering cans and coins by setting up a collection point and then drop your donations off at the Lower Octagon on the day.
Thank you!
How your school, kura or workplace can help!
- Start collecting cans: Encourage everyone to take part - make it fun.
- Get the word out: Mention OCTACAN in your newsletters, at your meetings and encourage everyone to participate. For resources, posters, images, certificates, and more information please see below - feel free to link to our page octacan.org.nz.
- Join the fun: Bring your cans to the Lower Octagon 7.30am – 2pm, Thursday 19 June 2025.
Download Resources
Online Donation FormDonate to the foodbank online
When you donate to the foodbank online we can purchase food items on your behalf. You can make a donation using the online form below or directly to our bank account.
PSO Account number: 06 0901 0005597 00
Particulars: Your Name
Code: Donation
Reference: Foodbank