Te Awamutu Combined Churches and Community Foodbank coordinator Rita Middleton, left, with a group from Learning Links Childcare who donated to the foodbank last week. From left, Paisley McGillivray, Beaudie Hogg, Max Wilson, Ember Davies, Kennedy Bagnall Harper Rewita-Peterson, Hudson Gillespie, PJ Kire-Martin, Summer Hansen, Mason Bayley, Isabella Plunkett, Kaiser Cederman-New, Alex Campbell and Learning Links kaiako, or teacher, Jenny Brown.
A Waipā foodbank is completing its busiest year on record.
The Te Awamutu Combined Churches and Community Foodbank says the increasing need is straining its resources and putting additional pressure on volunteers.
Coordinator Rita Middleton attributed those increases to a challenging economy and high living costs and the National Party’s Taranaki-King Country MP Barbara Kuriger – elected for a fourth term nearly six weeks ago – has given an assurance she will look into what can be done to help.
The foodbank is expecting to have distributed more than 600 parcels by the end of the year – a figure not achieved before in its 30-year history.
The total will eclipse the previous high – recorded last year – of 480 parcels – by well over 100.
When The News made Kuriger aware of the foodbank’s situation, she said she would plan to meet volunteers in person.
Middleton – who took over as foodbank coordinator about 18 months ago from Ian McLaughlan – said last week alone 25 food parcels were distributed.
In a typical seven day cycle about 10 parcels are usually filled.
People either call and request a food parcel or are referred by others in the community.
Some of the demand is expected at this time of year, Middleton said, and likely attributable to it being a busy time of year for many Te Awamutu families in the lead up to Christmas.
But a bigger picture at play is simply that an increasing number of families were struggling to make financial ends meet.
Barbara Kuriger
“The need in our community just seems to have grown so much. Everything is so expensive in this challenging economy – just look at the cost of food and petrol, and many people are facing unemployment too.”
Of the 486 food parcels distributed last year, 205 families received one parcel in 2022, 70 received two parcels and 26 received three parcels.
A typical food parcel includes rice, potatoes, tomatoes, pasta, spaghetti or baked beans.
Coffee, tea and sugar are often added.
“We do try not to give food parcels out to the same families over and over again,” Middleton said, “…simply because we want to help as many people as we can with resources we have.”
Kuriger encouraged those in the difficult situation of struggling financially to approach services like Work and Income.
Foodbank stocks were topped up thanks to donations received last week, Middleton said, though those would be used fast.
There had been several occasions when the foodbank’s own cupboard had looked scarce.
Among the latest donations received was one from Learning Links Childcare.
The centre donated a supermarket trolley full of food to mark World Kindness Day last week.
An additional timely donation of nine other boxes of canned food has also replenished foodbank stocks for now.
“Sometimes though, just as soon as those donations come in they are distributed and we’ll be looking at
empty shelves again.
“We will never say no to offers of donations. Every little bit helps immensely, and we are always grateful for the ways in which the community helps us,” Middleton said.
