Christchurch's largest food bank, Foodbank Canterbury, is set to close its doors just days before Christmas.
With rising costs, the charity provider has been forced to introduce a service fee, meaning it's become ineligible for council funding.
In a statement to staff, the food bank said: "This was not an easy decision to make and came only after considering all possible alternatives.
"It was determined that, if we continued to operate past the 22nd of December, we would be putting our ability to pay staff for hours worked and holiday pay at risk."
Foodbank Canterbury supports dozens of charities across the country, including Potters Kitchen in Christchurch.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, the charity's managers Robbie Drew and Elizabeth Woodward said they want the Government to step up and help.
"We found out last night and it's devastating. Surely this can't happen, we've got so many people that depend on us.
"We're the last port of call in a family crisis, and we're actually the glue that hold communities together," Drew said.
He said Potters Kitchen sent out 180 emergency food boxes last Christmas and they only have one this year.
"We don't know what we're going to do over Christmas, there's no food."
Drew said Potters Kitchen will "go back to being a soup kitchen" when Foodbank Canterbury closes.
Woodward said there are 160 charities in Christchurch. "If they all have to close because there's no Foodbank Canterbury - because that's their only source of food - then the people of Christchurch that need this food are not going to get it."
Drew added: "The mothers are going to feed their children any way they can and, if that's the case, the supermarkets are going to be in a lot of trouble and we don't want that to happen.
"We want them to come to us because we're more than just a foodbank, we're actually a family."
Asked if this is the end of the road for Potters Kitchen, Drew said they're "going to fight".
"It'll take a million dollars for Foodbank to be up and running again, you can't close something that's looking at the community where people have got no hope, they come to us because they've got no hope."
"Come on Government, step up," he said.
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