After joining the All Saints Presbyterian Church Fruit and Veges scheme last year, the foodbanks are able to access fresh fruit and vegetables for food parcels at the best possible price.

The big charities' involvement over the past year is encouraging, says a Fruit and Veges scheme spokesperson.

"We feel privileged to be involved in doing that work with them — it is good to know that our wholesale buying power is being used for good.

"Their involvement has definitely increased the volume we buy and they are quite easy to supply, as they pack up their own produce."

About the scheme

All Saints set up the not-for- profit project ten years ago. It's going strong - and keeps on growing.

During the past year, two new distribution centres joined the five established centres working with the scheme.

Between these centres and the main foodbanks, the scheme today has a presence throughout Dunedin (apart from Mosgiel where no volunteers are available), says Rev. Canon Michael Wallace from All Saints.

How the scheme works

The not-for-profit scheme uses bulk-buying power to supply bargain price, top-quality fruit and vegetables.

Fruit and vegetables are provided through the MG Dunedin fresh produce suppliers' group, where a volunteer buyer selects produce for the distribution centres.

In addition, locally sourced eggs, honey and milk are now providing extra ways to enhance the scheme.

The good value food is intended for households battling rapidly rising food prices. Hundreds of Dunedin families benefit.

Who uses the scheme

People need the scheme for many reasons, says a volunteer.

"We have people who are unable to get out and shop for themselves, so we collect the bags for them and distribute them."

The number of local families accessing the fruit and veggies scheme waxes and wanes depending on the time of year, but remains strong overall.

"Recently we've had a lot more students coming in to buy affordable produce — although, interestingly, it is mainly flatting groups of young women. The guys don't seem as keen" the volunteer adds.

"An interesting development is that we are getting more people who want to come in on a Thursday and browse our produce stall at All Saints rather than having us pack up bags for them" he said.

"Some people prefer to come and make their own choices, which is great as well. The main thing is that people are able to access good quality produce at the lowest possible cost."

In Port Chalmers about twelve people access the produce bags each Thursday.

"It is important for us to help look after our community and it is a good outreach programme for our church" a helper says.

Source

• ODT

So far, the group has dished out 40,000 meals across Canterbury.

Steve Hill and Adam Kreisel are the brains behind the not-for-profit organisation.

They say that 500kg of venison mince has been donated to Rangiora's Hope Community Trust over the past 18 months.

This has found its way to 17 community groups and foodbanks which then distribute it to the people who need it.

Waste not, want not

Hill and Kreisel aim to donate 500kg of venison mince to the free food freezers every month.

"Last calendar year we did just over two tonnes. This calendar year our target is five tonnes and I think we're about to blow that a bit.

"Next year hopefully we can get 10 tonnes" they say.

Kreisel said the idea to distribute the meat came about when he and Hill were out hunting together and agreed they were gathering too much meat to eat.

"Our families could take only so much… We sort of came up with the idea that it had to go to people that needed it a lot more than we needed it."

They designed a logo for Hunters for Hope and approached the Hope Community Trust in Rangiora.

"They said 'yes please - we'll definitely take it', and now that we've started giving it to them, they're [the meat packs] getting spread out more and more throughout North Canterbury, which is great" Kreisel said.

Community effort

The Trust now has fridge freezers strategically located round across North Canterbury so hunters can donate their surplus venison.

"We collect together and run a batch of mince once a month.

"We also get venison trim donated from a couple of large-scale hunting operations that are absolutely fantastic support to us, and without them it wouldn't be possible.

"When we do big events like the North Canterbury Hunting Competition, the hunters ... donated between 100 and 120 deer.

"We processed them over the weekend with a team of guys, and we've got that mince ready to go into the food bank on Thursday this week.

"We've had a lot of friends approach us as well, saying 'Hey, we're keen to get on board and give you guys a hand' because the animals we took from the competition did need to be skinned, boned and put into the chiller.

"There's a bit of work involved. We had a crew of 14 guys on board yesterday all helping to do that, which was great."

There's a real mix of volunteers Hill says.

Old, young, retired - even "Dad's Army" - Kreisel's father and his mates.

Everyone, it seems, wants to help.

Source

• RNZ

It has written an open letter and launched a petition, demanding a meeting with incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon before Christmas.

CPAGs health spokesperson and former paediatrician Professor Ines Asher says they're calling for the meeting because none of the parties forming the new Government have policies to reduce child poverty.

She says it's "alarming" that there has been a "surge of babies admitted to hospital" with preventable diseases.

"Most of these babies become so sick because of their inadequate living conditions which enable bugs to thrive ...".

Asher says there's not enough for the basics; homes are cold and overcrowded, unhealthy and mouldy.

The nutrition is poor and stress levels are high.

Policies can be created to intervene to ensure these families can access the "basics" which she says will reduce hospital admissions.

Food accessibility, affordability and availability should be included in the policy, Asher says.

She adds that we had policies like this in the 1980s but they have all eroded now.

CPAG wants more help for low-income and benefit-dependent families, more state houses, better legislation about housing standards and help particularly with food adequacy.

For children, this means the food must be of a quality that enables them to be healthy - which is "manifestly" not the case at present, she points out strongly..

The extent of the problem

Almost half a million New Zealanders rely on food handouts each week, CPAG notes.

Stats NZ's most up-to-date Consumer Price Index information shows that, in addition to groceries, food, meat, fish and poultry prices saw an eight per cent increase on the previous year.

It doesn't matter where you live, North or South, people are lining up for assistance with the basics.

Rotorua Salvation Army foodbank corps officer Hana Seddon says the organisation had always been "an important part of a community response to the needs out there".

This year, people with jobs and mortgages struggling to feed their families are also turning to the food bank, she says.

Invercargill-based Salvation Army Major Murray Sanson says they also now see "the working poor".

He says rising rents are putting pressure on families, and extreme weather events in the North Island are creating food insecurity.

A similar story is being reported from the Tauranga Community Foodbank.

Manager Nicki Goodwin says they're seeing "record demand". As is the case elsewhere, homeowners, people working full-time and double-income households are looking for food support.

This year, the food bank has helped 22,298 people within 8213 households. This included 11,797 children she says.

Community help

Communities have developed many innovative ways to help support their food banks, from radio appeals to street collections.

Invercargill's current drive is seasonal and involves "reverse adventers".

They set out to "flip the script" on advent calendars, by collecting donations rather than receiving advent calendar gifts.

Each reverse adventer fills a box or a bag and adds a non-perishable food or toiletry item daily. After collecting 24 donations, the bag is taken to the Salvation Army's food bank.

Source

• Rotorua Daily Post
• NZ Herald
• Stuff
• RNZ

The funding is being added to the Food Secure Communities programme, set up during the pandemic.

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the government had since July 2021 provided more than $150m in emergency funding to support community food providers.

"This time-limited funding was necessary to ensure all New Zealanders could access food during the pandemic. It was the first time government had ever provided direct support to community food providers in this way, and it's made a real difference for our most vulnerable," she said. Read more

Working families are among the growing number lining up for help as the cost of living and inflation bubble upwards.

Food shortages are hitting food banks too.

Like "Mother Hubbard", who went to the cupboard, North Island foodbank staff are finding bare pantries.

People are generous but can't afford to donate as they did in the past - they just don't have the means.

Less food, fewer parcels

Aotearoa Food Parcel Measure indicates that the nationwide number of food parcels distributed in March was 3422 fewer than at the start of the year.

"We're having to really tighten the budget and be really careful with our purchasing, we're mindful that we're in a position of reasonable stability for a charitable organisation," says Tauranga Community Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin.

Urban marae are also trying to fill their communities' pantries. They are cash-strapped too.

Papakura Marae's Tony Kake says his marae's foodbank is struggling to feed everyone asking for help. They give out about 300 food parcels per week. About 75 percent of the whanau they help are regulars - but anyone who needs help is welcome, he says.

Where to from here?

Any idea that last week's budget would help has died.

In a statement commenting on the 2023 Budget, the Auckland Catholic Diocese Justice and Peace Commission says there is little bread-and-butter support for those in most need and very little to alleviate intergenerational family poverty.

The Commission said that implementing the May 2019 Welfare Expert Advisory Group's key recommendation to substantially increase basic Social Welfare payments so that families can support themselves continues to be ignored.

"And the promised relief for families in the face of rising costs seems to be completely missing in action.

"What sort of society are we when 71 billion dollars can be found for very necessary infrastructure but only scraps of funding for families who are so overwhelmed by rising food and rent costs, they are being forced to choose between paying the rent to avoid homelessness and feeding hungry children?"

The Commission thinks a more focused approach to providing support would help.

There needs to be a solid plan in place, moving ahead, "rather than just a reactive, here's an extra $10 a week" the Commission said.

Helen Robinson, Chair of Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective and Manutaki at the Auckland City Mission, says local government and local food plans need to be at the heart of the response, while being connected to a National Food Strategy.

This would mean our domestic and export food systems are in concert with each other.

Robinson's basing her views on a report the Collective has just released. Called 'Realising Food Secure Communities in Aotearoa: a review of locally led reports, plans and strategies', it shows us that we know how to do this, and that we can, she says.

It spotlight ways mana whenua, local communities, councils and central government can work together.

When working in partnership, together we can build food secure communities, Robinson says.

Source

• RNZ
• NZ Herald
• Voxy
• Supplied - Justice and Peace Commission

The area's four foodbanks — Presbyterian Support Otago, the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul and the Mosgiel Community Food Bank, met yesterday to discuss the intense pressure their services have come under in the past month.

It comes as they prepare for the Christmas surge without the city's annual Christmas can appeal, which usually boosts foodbank reserves but has this year been cancelled because of Covid restrictions.

Dunedin St Vincent de Paul (Vinnies) centre and pastoral coordinator, Sarah Strang, says the stocks ran so low at Vinnies' foodbank this week, she had to make a plea for donations on social media.

Strang was stunned with the response of people.

"The results were wonderfully encouraging. People rallied and donated enough to keep the foodbank running for the next couple of weeks."

Strang says the first people who walked in the door with food were people the St Vincent de Paul had previously helped.

"They don't have a lot themselves, but recognized the call for help.

"People are very generous and will give if they know the need is there.

"People are so amazing. It's heart-warming", Strang said.

All Dunedin's food banks are facing high needs, depleted shelves and a poor outlook.

Salvation Army Dunedin community ministries manager David McKenzie says October was busier than it has been in the five-plus years he had been in his role.

When asked what was driving the demand and the lack of food on the shelves, his response echoes Strang's assessment. They blame housing costs taking up more of available income, lost work hours due to Covid and the inability this year to run the emergency services' can appeal.

"There doesn't appear to be any easy fix at the moment," McKenzie says.

"All of the foodbanks are very low in stock, we're just making it through day by day."

When one of the city's food banks was running low, usually they could seek a top up from one of the others.

But they were all in the same dire situation at the moment, Presbyterian Support Otago practice manager Deb Gelling says.

Gelling notes the foodbank experienced record demand during the last lockdown. Last week 33 food parcels were given out in a single day - an unusually high number.

Donations were still coming in and there had been some Government funding, but the shelves were still bare.

‘‘It is very unusual for us to be this low in stock. It's definitely a different feel this year.''

Work has begun on an alternative to the annual emergency service can appeal.

Organiser and senior firefighter Aimee Taylor says she hopes to have more details about this next week.

Source

• Otago Daily Times
• Image: Supplied