Pantry open to all in Po¯keno
A brightly coloured box is helping to feed Po¯ keno during the harsh winter months.
The Po¯ keno Pantry, set up by local Sarah Kull, is a wooden chest where generous locals can donate non-perishable goods and those in need can help themselves.
‘‘My inspiration came a little bit from our local library. There, the community can donate books and you can help yourself, so I thought, why not do that with food?’’ said Kull. The Po¯ keno nurse has always had a passion for feeding people, before moving to the area she worked at Papatoetoe High School.
‘‘We used to have lots of kids come in without lunches who were really genuinely struggling,’’ she said. When she began work at the Po¯ keno Family Health Centre in May, she noticed a few of her patients were having financial difficulty during the winter. ‘‘Some of them have been really struggling to pay the power bill and if we can take the burden off dinner a couple of nights a week, that might make a difference.’’ Since opening the box on July 5, she’s seen plenty of support from the community, a local diary has supplied canned goods, while Sanitarium has offered to donate packets of Weet-Bix. ‘‘Its been really well-received, so we’ve had heaps of donations already. Some of the stuff has already been taken.’’ For now you’ll find the community pantry outside Po¯ keno Bacon during shop hours, but Kull’s looking for a permanent location to host the box around the clock.
‘‘We’re looking at having it up 24/7 so that people can not only donate after hours, but also those in need can help themselves after hours as well.’’ The pantry is not just for food. Locals are welcome to donate other essential items that will stand the test of time.
‘‘So that could include soap or other sanitary products,’’ said Kull. ‘‘A lot of the time those are the things that get left off the shopping list, because they’re just too expensive.’’ If the chest sees plenty of use, Kull will look up-sizing and allowing perishable goods to be donated.
‘‘Things like fresh fruit. I know myself, we have feijoa tress and we just can’t eat that many.’’ Po¯ keno resident Gwen Joy is thrilled by the idea. ‘‘I have an orange tree, so I think I’ll bring some over. It’s absolutely wonderful.’’ If you would like to host the Po¯ keno Pantry, contact Sarah Kull on saz_49@hotmail.com.