WANGARATTA Motor Group handed over the haul they collected during their annual food drive 'Pack the Patrol' to Loaves and Fishes Christian Caring last week.

The food drive saw an entire car packed to the brim with non-perishables donated by the community to those in need this Christmas season.

Wangaratta Motor Group general manager, Jarred Clark, said it’s been fantastic to see the level of engagement from the community.

"We’ve had several locals come into our showroom to donate food," he said.

"Pack The Patrol would not have been as successful as it was without the support in particular of Wangaratta Woolworths to promote the Pack The Patrol instore and Project 365 for not only donating but spreading the word across social media.

"Our community drive day really pushed the message out there and made this year’s food drive an even bigger success.

"The response exceeded our expectations, and it really reinforced how much people care about supporting each other, especially during challenging times."

The food donated will be distributed by Loaves and Fishes Christian Caring.

Loaves and Fishes Christian Caring community development coordinator, David Still, said there is definitely a noticeable increase in demand in the community for support in the lead up to Christmas and in preparation for the new year.

"One of the really positive things about this initiative is it helps us fill out some of the short-fall we might have in the lead up to Christmas," he said.

"We are noticing this year in particular that there is not as much spare capacity in the community, so this food drive has been really helpful to fill some of those gaps.

"In the lead-up to Christmas, the demand goes through the roof, when budgets are under additional pressure from expectations around Christmas and especially for families with school kids who are preparing for the next school year.

"One of our big life savers each year is the significant generosity from the community which enables us to do what we need to."

Wangaratta Nissan sales manager, Josh Glendenning, said this is a positive outcome to the initiative.

"Our goal was to Pack The Patrol to the brim and we achieved this," he said.

"The food drive not only helped provide much-needed resources to those who are struggling coming up to Christmas.

"It also helped foster a sense of unity within our community.

"For our team, it’s a reminder of how much our community means to us as well as the importance of giving back."

Wangaratta Motor Group and Loaves and Fishes Christian Caring will look to run the initiative again next year.