New Zealanders have given thousands in response to a call by The Salvation Army for donations to meet the growing demand on its foodbanks

So far donations total more than $850,000 and the amount is climbing daily.

Foodbank.org.nz is the world's first online foodbank and for five years has been giving people the opportunity to donate to their local foodbank, with the simple click of a button.

On Friday, The Salvation Army ramped up The Foodbank Project as a means to stock foodbanks around New Zealand, now that physical donations of food from the public are no longer allowed.

Promoted on The Salvation Army's website, Friday saw a record $58,000 in donations to The Foodbank Project.

The Salvation Army has seen a notable increase in people asking for food parcels in the last six days. It has also seen a huge increase in the number of people reaching out to help meet that need.

'We are incredibly grateful to New Zealanders who continue to show the true spirit of kindness,” The Salvation Army assistant territorial secretary for mission Captain Gerry Walker says.

'More and more people are struggling to feed their families through this crisis, but with the help of those in a position to donate, we can really support those who find themselves in times of need.”

To cope with the increase in demand for food, four new locations have been added for donations to go to - Tauranga, Whakatane, Rotorua and Newtown, with more to come.

ZURU CEO Nick Mowbray is matching donations, and The Salvation Army has also received generous support from Forsyth Barr and many other companies and individuals.

People wishing to donate to The Foodbank Project can visit www.foodbank.org.nz and select the type of bundle they want to donate. It will automatically be distributed to their closest foodbank.