Feeding the hungry without judgement

Some people wouldn’t think twice about throwing their leftovers in the bin.

Others, like Rebecca Culver, would instead give her excess food to the homeless.

Culver has been breaking bread and sharing food with needy people even before she founded her food charity, Just Zilch, which turned six this month.

Before Zilch’s inception, Culver had worked in a supermarket and was horrified to see all of the leftover food being disposed of.

‘‘I thought, ‘why is all this food going to waste when we have these people in need?’’’

When volunteering for an organisation that gave away its leftover bread, the idea of a free food store was born.

People can access food at Just Zilch in Palmerston North and not be questioned or judged.

Over the years, Culver has seen the number of people using the service more than double.

This year, on average, about 190 people visit Just Zilch for food each day. Last week, there was an average of 239 people, Culver said.

A survey by Massey University students found the largest group to use the service were Pakeha males, aged 30-54 years. About 47 per cent of those surveyed lived in households with children.

Some of the reasons people visited Just Zilch included: money not stretching far enough, struggling with bills, pensioners finding it hard to pay bills and care for grandchildren, being behind in payments and the benefit not being enough.

Culver said she saw a need and wanted to do something about it.

Now Just Zilch had not only become a popular food store, but also a distribution hub for other charities, Culver was aiming to grow further.

Her next idea is ‘‘food rescue’’, which encourages cafes, restaurants and supermarkets to donate leftover food, rather than throw it out.