Connecting to neighbours to gift extra food
A West Auckland resident was surprised to find a need for food in his own neighbourhood when he looked for places to give away extra cooking after a party.
Ronak Panchal found himself with spare food after a dinner party on a Saturday night a few weeks ago and faced the dilemma of how to give it away.
Not knowing where to turn, he put a call out on a community Facebook page. The following evening, he was able to give it to a household in the area.
Panchal said it’s the first time he’s donated food but now wants to try to promote food-sharing, after learning there was a need within his own community.
‘‘There’s plenty of food around, and I don’t think anyone deserves to be hungry,’’ he said.
KiwiHarvest manager Maria Madill, an organisation which redistributes food from food businesses to charities, said they often receive calls from residents wanting to donate food.
‘‘It happens a lot, especially as we’re raising awareness of food security and food waste. People want to be able to do the right thing.’’
For food safety reasons, the organisation could only collect from food businesses but usually tried to put people in touch with a local group or contact in their area who could help.
Madill said food delivery could be a challenge, as groups are often voluntary and have restricted access to fridges and the like. Ensuring food safety was also another consideration.
Salvation Army Waitakere City Community Ministries operations manager Naomi Layzell said there has been a ‘‘definite increase’’ in food need in the West Auckland area, as well as nationwide, over the past 12 to 18 months. She said increasing rents and the costs of winter were contributing factors.
‘‘It puts [people] in the unenviable position of choosing to pay the power bill or rent or buying some food for their kids.’’
Layzell said while the organisation could not accept or distribute home-cooked food, she encouraged donations through The Foodbank Project partnership, especially fresh produce, meat, cheese and sanitary items. She recommended building strong community.
‘‘Get to know your neighbours, invite them around for dinners. Especially if you live in West Auckland, one of your neighbours is going to be hungry.’’