Full bellies achieved

Bellyful Porirua has marked another milestone – its first ever meal recipient has had another baby and become the group’s first return customer.

Bellyful co- coordinator Rebecca Morahan last week dropped off frozen dinners to Plimmerton mum Julia Barton, who received the food charity’s first delivery when her daughter Amber was born in July 2011.

Mrs Barton had been referred to the service by a friend in Auckland and had no inkling Porirua Bellyful had just started up, she says.

‘‘I had no idea, Rebecca was so professional, I thought she’d been doing it for years!’’

The pair have since become friends and Mrs Barton has herself referred people to the service.

That first delivery was much appreciated, she says.

‘‘We were a little bit overwhelmed by everything. It’s always great to have a delivery, to have something in the fridge and not bother about tea for a few nights.’’

Mrs Barton and husband Pete welcomed a son, Oliver, on January 5, and she was initially reluctant to accept Bellyful’s charity again, but another friend referred her and she was thankful for the help.

‘‘We never say no to lovely meals,’’ she says.

‘‘That comfort food – mac and cheese and lasagne – it’s just what you want when you’ve had a hard day.’’

The meals appeal to toddlers too, something Mrs Barton did not appreciate first time round, but does now with 19-month-old Amber.

Mrs Barton, whose extended family lives far from Wellington in the Bay of Plenty and overseas, was the ideal first client, Bellyful’s Mrs Morahan says.

Bellyful has been going from strength to strength since 2011, and has become the country’s largest and most active branch, she says.

A Christmas voucher fundraiser raised $550, and the charity was the recipient of money raised at last week’s Plimmerton Shrove Tuesday pancake race.

‘‘It’s really cool, it’s exciting,’’ Mrs Morahan says.

Volunteers are always needed though, to help cook, deliver, or attend events and fundraise.

‘‘We always need people coming on board.’’

Contact Rebecca Morahan at 021 552 825 or rebecca.mora han@bellyful.org.nz.

Back for seconds: Plimmerton mum Julia Barton has become Bellyful Porirua’s first repeat customer, getting free meals delivered by Rebecca Morahan after the birth of her children Oliver, 6 weeks, and Amber, 19 months.