KNOW YOUR LOCAL

Busy time at Kāpiti Community Foodbank as cost-of-living crisis bites

With the cost-of-living crisis hitting hard, it’s a busy time at the Kāpiti Community Foodbank.

“I’m constantly surprised by the number of people out there who need food support,” foodbank operations manager Jill Mason said.

“Each day we get a couple of new clients which says to me things are very, very difficult, even with people working. “We do have quite a lot of people who do work fulltime but just can’t make ends meet with the increased costs of living such as rising food prices, higher rents, higher interest rates.

Trade Aid Kāpiti calls for more volunteers

Paraparaumu’s Trade Aid store is calling for friendly people to volunteer in the shop.

Trade Aid, next to the customer service desk at Coastlands, sells handmade items from small international businesses, with all the profits going directly back to the product makers.

The more than 50 small food and craft producers across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Palestine, and the Pacific are long-term trading partners, and acting manager Angela Torr said Trade Aid ensures all are treated fairly.

“We’re a social enterprise.”

Funding drive for Whale Song sculpture park in Paraparaumu

Backers of a significant tourist magnet project, featuring a lifesize pod of bronze-coated whales in Paraparaumu, are hoping for an uplift in financial support, especially after a high-profile event.

Whale Song is the centrepiece of the Wharemauku Park regeneration project which would feature seven manmade humpback whales.

Not only would it be a major drawcard, but it would revitalise the Wharemauku Stream area, acknowledge Kāpiti’s whaling past, and highlight the need to protect the environment and species such as whales.