Hundreds of people are lining up outside the Auckland City Mission from the crack of dawn every day hoping to get emergency food parcels and presents in time for Christmas.
Some bring foldaway chairs, others share cars, but many more perch on the filthy footpath, on a busy street, for all to see and for some to judge.
"Your life can change in a matter of seconds, so don't be quick to judge because at the end of the day when you have no income you end up standing in lines like the rest of us," says mother Gaylene.
The Mission screens everyone, making sure there's no double dipping and the need is real. Last week it helped 3000 people.
"What's more alarming is that a third of the people here have not been to a food bank before," says Auckland City Missioner Diane Robertson.
Watch the video for the full 3 News report.
