In January, the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano off the coast of Tonga erupted, leaving the island nation dealing with the disaster.
Dunedin Tongan Relief Project lead co-ordinator Finau Taungapeau said the food and goods would make a big difference for those struggling in Tonga.
There were 36 crates and 25 drums that would be filled and shipped over later this month.
Volunteers would be working throughout the week to get the supplies packed and ready to be sent.
Each of the crates held about $1500-$2000 worth of goods, including non-perishable food and household items such as toilet paper and detergent.
Preserved goods were expensive and hard to get in Tonga and most families would not have many on hand.
Having food that was shelf stable and ready to eat would make their situation much easier, she said.
About $10,000 had been donated as well, which would be spent on more goods to send over.
Pharmaceutical students at the University of Otago had also put their skills to work.
About 50 litres of hand sanitiser had been created to be shipped to one of the hospitals in Tonga.
All of the goods would be picked up tomorrow by Mainfreight, which was taking them to Auckland free.
From Auckland the supplies would be loaded on to a ship and sent to Tonga, where they would be distributed among families.
