Food co-op helps families eat well
It’s called simply Ka Pai Kai, Good Food, and it’s for anyone.
A joint venture with community organisations Te Ora Hou and Stone Soup, Ka Pai Kai makes good, wholesome, healthy, fresh food available at a good price to anyone.
Food can be expensive, even at supermarket prices, and for many, a completely healthy diet is beyond the reach of the family budget.
Whanganui does have a well-run food bank run by Christian Social Services, a collaboration of churches, but to use the food bank requires a letter from WINZ and a maximum of three food parcels per family a year.
Stone Soup community worker Kathy Parnell and Te Ora Hou manager Judy Kumeroa, in consultation with the community and with the help of Matipo Gardens Trust, created Ka Pai Kai.
“We want to buy local,” says Kathy, “So we have three businesses supporting us. It’s not charity, we buy a big amount of food and we pack it down, so people are getting discounts. We are not for profit.”
Laugesen’s, Crazy Pumpkin and Supervalue all provide food at low cost, allowing Ka Pai Kai volunteers to create food packs that are not only affordable, but which consist of only good quality meat, fruit and vegetables.
Te Puna O Wai Ora, formerly St Mark’s church in Puriri St, charges a nominal rent for use of a kitchen and storage facilities for Ka Pai Kai.
“It’s open to everyone,” says Kathy. “You do not need to be from the Gonville area. You don’t have to be a beneficiary … we have three single ladies who come in and buy a couple of big packs, then go home and cook dinner together from one of the packs then split everything up between them.”
The packs contain only food, not cleaning or household products. Kathy says the savings people make on fresh food will allow them to have money left over for other things.
“If we get anything extra, we will add it to the packs.”
Kathy says they sometimes get things — like feijoas — donated.
The packs are put into reusable bags donated by Housing New Zealand.
“They want to see healthy food in the community. It’s a way they can help that we take responsibility for.”
Ka Pai Kai customers are encouraged to bring the bags back for reuse.
“We do have packs for people to come and pick up, but we ask people to pre-order.”
Those with an order take priority and walk-ins can buy what’s left.
There are fruit and vegetable packs, meat packs and combo packs. They are different sizes and prices are kept very low.
“We are doing deliveries — they’re from three to five dollars depending on location.” Kathy says it’s also a good way for people to help others by buying them a pack.
At Te Puna Wai Ora, the work is done by a team of volunteers led by Rawi Minarapa and Carlos Rippon of the Matipo Gardens Trust. They collect the produce and organise the packs for delivery or purchase. Carlos usually does the driving and he runs the Matipo Gardens.
“Kathy rang us up and asked if we were interested in talking about a food co-op like this,” says Rawi, Ka Pai Kai co-ordinator.
“Carlos and I went down and had a conversation with them and we’ve gone from there.”
The team wears Ka Pai Kai T-shirts designed by Rawi.
To order a food pack text or call 021 024 86538.
Pick up is at Te Puna O Wai Ora church, corner of Kowhai and Puriri streets, Wednesday 3pm-7pm, Friday 10am-midday.