More than 250 people will be hitting the streets of Pāpāmoa tonight as the Emergency Services Food Drive rolls into the largest suburb in Tauranga.

Emergency services will be teaming up with volunteers, including Neighbourhood Support and Fire Emergency NZ services, to collect non-perishable food, toiletries, pet food, cleaning stuff, nappies and hygiene items.

'We are so big this year that Neighbourhood Support teams are setting off from Gordon Spratt Reserve and Fire Emergency Services have to leave from Simpson Reserve because we have too many teams to all leave from one place,” says Western Bay of Plenty Neighbourhood Support manager Bruce Bank.

'I even have corporate and business teams helping us this year which is brilliant as they bring on vehicles and utes and 'foot soldiers”.

'We are coming to every street in Pāpāmoa. I have a 6km route for all of my people and they have to complete that in approximately two hours.

'Last year we collected 42 trailer loads. With the number of vehicles we have this year, we should blitz that.

'This year we are also collecting baby needs, personal hygiene items, sanitary products, cleaning products and pet food along with canned food and non-perishables.

Aaron Dawson (from FENZ) and Bruce Banks (Western Bay Neighbourhood Support) are organising this year's Pāpāmoa Emergency Food Drive.

'Aaron and I have done it now for six years together and it's the highlight of our year. The generosity out of our community is awesome.”

Bruce says all the food and collection goes to Pāpāmoa Family Services and they act as the agent to distribute to the needy.

People wanting to donate are being encouraged to leave items next to their letterbox for collection from 6pm.

On Tuesday morning Bruce sent out an urgent plea by email for some last minute helpers to step up and be 'foot soldiers' or provide vehicles, as some volunteers had had to pull out through illness or injury.

Within half an hour, he received so many replies that all the gaps were quickly filled.

"We needed two collection vehicles - such as a trailer, ute, van or light truck," says Bruce. "This was our greatest need. And we needed six 'foot soldiers' to collect donations from letterboxes and deliver to the collection vehicle.

"Within half an hour we had enough volunteers. This is the strength of this community."